Illogical
by Scintazzle
Summary: I narrowed my eyes. He was perfect...a little too perfect. It was then that I realized: he wasn't human. Nejiten, AU. [Update] Epilogue up!
1. Chapter 1

...So...

I don't really have anything to say, except that I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

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><p>The lecture hall was in a hubbub. It was almost time for midterms (I wasn't looking forward to them in the least), and our old, witchy-bitchy professor hadn't shown up yet. Secretly, I was glad that she didn't decide to show her pruny and old-fashioned face and clothes yet. Dressed in lace and granny pants that looked suspiciously like bloomers, she wasn't really pleasing to the eye.<p>

God knows how she managed to survive so far with _that_ taste in style.

I idly tapped my pencil against my laptop. Oh, how I loved my laptop, my one friend in the painful world of homework and essays. It was my precious baby…the backup to my lifelong story. I had every file duplicated and sent to my second one, just in case this one crashed. But it didn't seem likely…only in the event of a horrific catastrophe, right?

My green apple laptop winked at me, the fluorescent lights of the lecture hall reflecting off of its shiny exterior. I glanced at the clock in boredom. Class was supposed to have started 5 minutes ago. Where was she? She had never been late before. Why start a third of the way into the year?

I turned to Haruno Sakura, the genius girl. She got on my nerves sometimes, but she _did _know everything. Her hand was always the first to shoot up after any question, and she enjoyed letting the world know of her god-like mind and intellect. Occasionally, I barely refrained myself from calling her a "know-it-all-teacher's-pet." But this was COLLEGE. I was supposed to be more mature, so I kept my mouth shut.

Sakura turned to look at me. We were friends, I guess. Not only was she smart, but she was pretty too. In an exotic sort of way, I suppose. Her green eyes flashed behind her $200 frames when she made eye contact with me.

"Do you know why she's late, Tenten-san?" she asked, looking worried. "I hope nothing bad happened to her."

I snorted. "No, I truly have no idea." Wow. For once, Miss Genius didn't know everything...so kind hearted and a tad naive. While she was actually watching out for that hag's safety and well-being, I was hoping she had tripped and fell down the stairs, retiring early and never coming back. But in reality, she probably got held up by the Janitor or something.

I swear. If they got together, they would make the world's most ugliest and oldest couple.

I heard the door creak open, and inwardly sighed. She was back. My hopes dashed, I slumped to the table as the room hushed. It was eerily silent.

…That was really weird. No background noise at all—the talking had immediately subsided. Normally, some whispers would still be fluttering around, but not this time. It was as silent as a tomb. Why was it so quiet?

I looked up as a guy entered the room. Late. He was the reason for the hush.

Probably new transfer student or something. Scanning his face quickly, I backed up my conclusion with the fact that I had never seen him before. If I did, I was pretty sure I would have remembered him.

Definitely new.

I looked to Sakura on my left who had a dazed look in her eyes; the green having completely misted over in a look of…was that adoration? The look in her eyes was completely focused on the new student. I followed her gaze, letting my own eyes rest on him.

Yeah. I was NOT complaining.

Coffee-brown locks were tied up in a sleek, elegant hair tie at the base of his neck, right between the shoulder blades. His skin was, albeit a bit pale, but still tinged with a slight peachy hue. His face was structured perfectly, slim lips placed into a pressed line, long bangs outlining his cheekbones. Dark framed glasses accentuated peculiar eyes of lavender and silver. I let my eyes trail downwards, and discovered a body of lean muscle (not bulky, just enough to be noticeable), and long legs in a set of slim, black pants.

Those looks were…inhuman. Godly. How could someone with looks so perfect come to our school? I never thought that I would encounter someone who looked so… flawless.

He looked straight at me, and I averted my gaze so it looked like I wasn't interested in the first place. And I so totally wasn't interested.

...Alright, maybe just a _little_. He _was _pretty good looking...

Which probably made him stuck up and egocentric. I knew his type. He probably was like most of the other guys here—good looking, but 100% brainless. I made up my mind that he would just be a nice piece of eye-candy to look at once in a while. Nothing more.

This student was dressed impeccably as well. Clean-cut white shirt, dark pants, and messenger bag—everything was precise.

Oh, sure, try to impress the girls with your sophisticated side. I get it.

I watched as him as he walked in long lean, casual strides to the—wait. He wasn't coming up into the stands of the lecture hall to sit with the others. He wasn't sitting down in just any random seat—it was the teacher's seat: the leather plush swivel chair behind the desk. What did he think he was doing?

Sakura's face was in pure shock, mouth agape and large enough to swallow a grapefruit.

He set down the case that he had strapped to his shoulders, opening it and showing it wasn't only filled with his laptop or notes, but papers. Written, MLA style papers, like the kind that we wrote on a regular basis. And then he was walking to the whiteboard in the front of the room, grasping a slim marker in his pianist fingers and writing in perfect penmanship upon it in green marker.

He turned back to face me, his gaze seeming to penetrate my very soul.

Sounds pretty deep, right?

But I felt chills run up my spine. Not from attraction, or the cold, or anything cheesy like that...but from intense dread.

"Hello," he said in a rich, tenor voice as smooth as silk and as rich as chocolate fudge. I fidgeted with my bangles as he continued to look at me. It was almost hypnotizing. For some reason, I couldn't tear my gaze away. But in a second, the connection was broken as he continued with his introduction and he looked away. "I am Hyuuga Neji, your new instructor."

At the very moment he finished his sentence, my computer froze. I panicked, trying to move the mouse, but to no avail. And then, it crashed—the screen lighting up in a multitude of rainbow clashing stripes, a horrible spitting noise coming from the speakers. I could see all my information (figuratively speaking) leaking out of my precious laptop, never to be seen again. The screen finally turned black, and the power light winked off.

_Only in the event of a horrific catastrophe, right?_

Inwardly, I screamed.

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><p>Stay tuned. Will be up in a week or so. R and R :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

New update. :) So I really have no idea how college life works, so sorry ahead of time for any inaccurate information

Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

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><p>Sakura sighed behind me. "Oh, he looks marvelous today, just like always—right, Tenten-san?"<p>

I mumbled an ambiguous answer, letting my head slump forward and rest in my arms. Every day, every single stinking day he came in, he would always give me that look. That look that clearly read, "I know what you're thinking, as well as the deepest secrets inside your soul. I know all, especially the fact that you wanna fu—"

I would always stop right there. I did not want to give myself into these primal instincts of mine. They were never to be trusted. It was wrong to think in that way in the first place. Me? And Hyuuga-sensei? Student and teacher. That was _all_. Who cared if he was such a super-genius-freak that he graduated college at 17?

Not me. I _totally_ didn't have a thing for intellectuals.

And so what if he was now only a year or two older that I? (He looked that way at least…I couldn't be too sure.)

Not me either. He was nothing in my world, like a miniscule little speck of dust.

I felt his gaze pierce through me, almost like he had heard my insult. It took most of my will power not to look up.

I heard Sakura emit a tiny gasp and squeal. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, indiscreetly nudging me in the gut, "He's looking at me! Tenten-san, he's looking at me!"

I rolled my eyes. Goodness gracious, a little too overbearing at some times. She sighed and leaned back, totally satisfied. But I knew he was obviously not looking at her at all.

It was totally directed at me.

Oh, sure—that sounds real conceited, I know, but I could tell—it was as if someone had stripped me naked to the core. It happened every single time he fixed his lavender orbs on me.

And I hated it.

"Everyone," he said, averting his gaze for a moment, "I will have you all know that you have an impromptu writing today. You did read the chapters last night, correct?"

A unanimous nod of heads and murmurs of "yes" were the response.

"Good. Now answer me this—please start typing this question, I won't repeat it twice—debate the topic of John's internal struggle between his love for Margaret and his grudge toward her family. Begin—the essays will be collected in 2 hours."

I sure as hell read that chapter last night. And I sure as hell knew how to start off my paper that was soon to be another big fat "A" on my midterm report.

It was good to be an overachieving perfectionist.

I quickly pulled out my laptop and turned it on. It only took a minute or so, and Microsoft Word was up and running and to my disposal. It had taken me a grueling week to get the laptop fixed again; and getting it back to its original state proved to be both time consuming and extremely boring.

It was the worst possible combination, trust me.

But it was time to write my essay now, not time to dwell on my past mishap. I didn't even spend time to look at my fingers, as I already knew everything that was going to be said and everything that was going to appear on my screen in a flurry of typing fingers. I saw, from the corner of my eyes, that Hyuuga-sensei was walking around the bleachers and stands, taking looks and peeks on people's writings. He would point out something occasionally, and his word would be accepted with a gracious nod and "thank-you." He spent a lot of time on this one girl (she wasn't the brightest light bulb in the box), and she looked at him with such adoring eyes I could puke.

Finally, before I noticed, he was behind Sakura who I could see was clearly trying to fight down a cherry-tomato blush that rivaled Hinata's. I scowled and kept my eyes back on my screen, working on my 3rd paragraph. I opened my ears up a little and heard him murmur an astounded "good work, Haruno-san. Just change your transitions a bit ok? Remember, it all needs to tie up to the thesis."

Bleh. Gag me, please. What was with all the added flattery? Her essay couldn't have been much better than mine.

But before I knew it, he had moved on and was right behind me. I was acutely aware of my surroundings, more so than usual.

And what I felt had my heart pumping and my hands clammier than they used to be. I didn't know if he had purposely cornered me into this position. But he was practically on top of me, his arms trapping me, caging me into a tiny enclosed space. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and I could smell the most delicious thing coming from him, like spring pears and a small citrus burst of something special. The air was electrifying around us.

My hands stopped typing, and I kept my eyes on the screen. His breath gently fanned my neck as he kept reading, scanning over the same page over and over. Finally, he reached forward with one hand and pointed out a few mistakes that had my blood boiling. And not just from the close proximity between us.

"Kurenai-san, you wrote in past tense. It should be 'says', not 'said.' Understand? And please fix your intro sentence and make it catchier. It is too dull, no one would read your essay if your topic sentence was the same as it is now."

I nodded dumbly. I could understand the past tense thing, but it was just a tiny mistake! And my intro sentence wasn't catchy enough? Excuse me? I could read that same sentence over and over and not get sick of it. That's how catchy it was.

Was he personally picking on me today or something?

"One more thing," he said in a smooth, masculine voice. I gritted my teeth.

"Yes, Hyuuga-sensei?" I asked with false sweetness, never once looking at him, always keeping my eyes on the screen.

"Good work, but I believe you could do better."

That arrogant prick of an asshole. He did not just say that.

His warmth left as he continued to peruse essays. I typed with a furious glint in my eyes, finishing the essay with 30 minutes to spare. I spent this extra time touching it up so perfectly, _so amazingly_ that I swore that if he found a single mistake, I would skewer him.

I absentmindedly fingered the silver cross on my necklace chain as I waited by the printer for my essay. A birthday present from my younger brother. It wasn't just silver colored, like the cheap necklaces that imprinted green circles on one's neck. Been there, done that. Instead, it was pure silver dust melted and nitpicked into an elegant cross.

The last page printed out and I dropped on Hyuuga-sensei's desk the second the bell rang. I grabbed my laptop and shoved it in my bag, making my way out the door. Sakura bounded up to me, chattering excitedly.

"He complimented my work! And when I handed it in, he said it would be a pleasure reading it," she said, giggling elatedly.

I couldn't help but feel a bit envious. All he did was criticize my very being in an indirect way. Did he find Sakura a better student than me?

"Oh, there's Ino," she said, smiling brightly. "Doesn't she look nice today?"

I followed her gaze to the most popular of our group, Yamanaka Ino. She was the epitome of a perfect, flawless, Barbie doll in a splashy and bold flower print shirt and dark skinny jeans. She was arguing intensely with her childhood friend, Shikamaru.

Oh, right. Remember how I said that most everyone who was good looking was brainless? Well, 2 people that I knew were the exceptions to that rule.

1. The guy that was coming up to us right then and . Super-genius extraordinaire—why he's even here, I have no idea. He could've graduated from the best college around at 13 years old. But, for some strange reason, he decided to come here with Ino and stick out like a sore thumb. I mean, he doesn't even have to TRY and he aces everything with A+'s. And he's pretty popular with the ladies due to his lazy and casual personality. How is that a turn on?

2. Sasuke (who wasn't here at the moment, but the king of the school). Super-hot jerk that is also very intelligent for his age. Captain of the lacrosse team here, as well as volleyball. He has an ungodly amount of knowledge on financing and chemistry (who would've thought?). Although he is hot, he's pretty stuck up and indifferent. Girls just go for his looks.

3. Does he even count? Why in the world am I putting his name under this category? Oh well—one more addition then. Uzumaki Naruto. Loud, brash, annoying, and an uncanny resemblance to a California surfer. He's very outgoing though; the type to believe that there's some sort of good in everyone. I don't think that Naruto has ever held a grudge. Most people like him for his outgoing personality and general kindness. He's a pretty good person, but not the brightest; except for in…I can't believe I'm saying this. HISTORY. How is that possible? I suck in history...

Shikamaru strolled up to us in long, lazy strides. He waved to Sakura, gave me a fist bump, and then stuffed his hands into his black pants. "How's it going?" he asked with a lazy drawl.

"Pissed," I confessed, spilling my complaints on Hyuuga-sensei. "Can you believe it?" I asked, huffing indignantly once I had finished.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's no big deal. No use making a mountain out of a molehill."

I gaped at him open-mouthed. "It is SO a big deal! What are you talking about? He insulted my intelligence, and my motivation—indirectly, but still so—and you're saying it's not a big deal?"

He shrugged nonchalantly again. "Yeah. I mean, he's pretty cool of a teacher, right? He's almost like a student himself. He sure doesn't look like a teacher."

I snorted. "Spare me. He is an old fart who can just fuck the secretary. He isn't getting any. Maybe that's why he's so mean to me all the time. He must be a prude."

Sakura gasped at this statement, her green eyes widening behind her frames. "That was not very nice!"

"Well it's true!" I retorted, strolling down the hall with my friends. "He's always the same…cold face, occasional thin lipped smile, glinting eyes…"

"Beautiful eyes," sighed Sakura.

"And hot body," added Ino, winking suggestively.

What had I done to land in a mess with them again? I sighed and ran a hand through my brown locks. "Whatever. Not the point—his appearances aren't the point, okay? The point is, he doesn't take anyone else into consideration except for himself! Sure, he may be an adult and a teacher, but it doesn't mean he can go insulting his student's work!"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Come on, Tenten. You're just mad because Shikamaru might get a better grade than you. Remember in kindergarten when he got the prize for the 'prettiest rainbow' and you didn't? Your tantrum was epic."

I waved goodbye to Shikamaru who was leaving before answering her. Once he was out of earshot, I turned back to face her. "Ino, that prize was very important. You can't let that slide now, can you?"

She smiled prettily. "Fraid not, my dear friend. Now how about some coffee during our break? We can stop by S.S.!"

"S.S.?" I murmured, weighing the options. On one hand, I could continue arguing until we got back to the dorms. Or, I could argue with her until we got to the coffeehouse, get coffee, and then argue to the dorms.

The latter was definitely a better idea. "Sounds good to me."

"Yay!" Sakura and Ino cheered, hand-clapping one another, grins on their faces. "Maybe we'll run into Hinata there too! Wouldn't that be cool?"

I sighed jokingly. "Just get me my coffee."

They squealed again.

S.S. was probably the coolest pace to hang out on the campus. It was a modern coffee place with the most delicious coffee I had ever tasted. It beat going to the library to study anyways, and everyone who was anyone made that place a regular business.

I slid into a chair at the first round table near the window, gesturing for Ino and Sakura to join me. We set our bags, filled to the brim with 10-pound textbooks, on the table and then stood up and waited in line for our coffee.

It was worth the wait.

"Hinata!" Sakura and Ino squealed simultaneously, giving the pearl-eyed girl a quick hug each over the counter, "How are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied in her ever-gentle manner. I glanced at her outfit, and decided that she looked very cute, even while taking orders. The dark magenta of the cloth apron and the cute little hat set on her long, pulled back hair was the perfect picture. She looked absolutely darling.

"Tenten!" she exclaimed, giving me a shy smile. "How are you doing?"

"Good," I answered, not wanting to burden the little angel with my complaints.

She gave me one of her all knowing looks. "It's Hyuuga-sensei again, right?"

"How did you KNOW?" exclaimed Ino, looking mildly surprised.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it Pig. Hinata knows all."

"Pig?"

"Yes."

"You called me that, Forehead?"

"Why yes, I believe so, BOAR."

"Billiard Brow…you're so going to get it!"

I groaned as they launched into a name-calling tirade. Ino was the only one that could ever truly frazzle Sakura's nerves. "One iced vanilla cappuccino, and two chocolate lattes," I said, giving Hinata the order, totally ignoring their meaningless catfight. They always got over it.

She gave me a peaceful smile. "Sure. $8.78, please, and wait a while, kay?"

I nodded and when the coffees arrived, I set them on the table and slurped mine contently. I just hoped that tomorrow, Hyuuga-sensei would get off my back and leave me alone.

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><p>Wishes never come true, you realize that? The next day was so incredibly hot that I had to look hot. Which meant shorter shorts and tighter shirts and higher hair. And I wasn't really expecting anyone to notice me, but unfortunately, one person did. The moment I entered English class, the prude gave me a once over and decided that:<p>

"Kurenai-san, your school dress is inappropriate. Please change."

What?

I checked my straps. They were okay.

I checked my shorts. Nope, not short enough to be underwear.

So what was the problem?

"Hey, that's unfair!" I blurted out in a moment of idiocy. It had taken me a while to realize, but he kept picking on me of all people. And now, I was willing to give him a piece of my very outspoken mind.

"All the other girls are wearing more provocative things—their boobs are practically falling out of their bras for god's sake—so why in the world can't I wear shorts and a tank top?" I asked indignantly, drawing myself to my full height so I could look him in the eye. "The world doesn't revolve around you and your ideas. My shorts hit mid-calf, that's the rule, right? And look, they're a centimeter past! And my boobs aren't hanging out of my top, so I don't see what the big problem is!" I retorted, defending myself.

He gave me a harsh stare. "Detention after school. 3:00 pm. No earlier, no later, understood? Your punishment will be assigned."

I bowed my head dejectedly. Speaking back to a teacher was never a good thing, and my short temper and loud mouth had gotten me in trouble. "Yes, Hyuuga-sensei," I sighed, trudging back to my seat. Detention was nothing new to me, but it still felt like crap.

I happened to arrive just a little bit earlier than 3:00 pm. If he didn't believe me and would reprimand me for being 10 minutes early, I would just shrug it off with a "my watch is 10 minutes faster." That would show him. I would receive my punishments and that would be the end of it.

If he didn't look so hot, it would make it all the easier to hate him.

And I so did not want to be here right now. Everyone else was partying in Ino's dorm. And here I was, reluctantly standing in front of this dreaded doorway, not at all looking forward to the surprise that was yet to come.

I didn't know how right I was going to be.

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><p>Waiting was getting very boring very quickly. I slumped against the closed door where he was probably punishing some other poor soul for wearing "provocative" clothes. I shifted my head so I could feel the cold wood against my cheek. It was so hot outside…<p>

"Mmmm….oh…."

I froze. Okay, ew? What was going on in there?

Quickly, I kneeled so I faced the door and pressed my ear as close to it as possible. What was I hearing? Just my imagination, right?

My kneecaps were very rapidly getting sore when smushed against the cold tile, but I didn't care. I started breaking out in a cold sweat.

This wasn't happening.

I heard anxious moans and pants coming from inside.

"Ohhh…Neji-san…please…" the female whimpered. I felt like gagging.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there soon," murmured a smooth voice that was clearly my teacher's. What the hell was going on in there? There was no possible way that _that_ was going on behing that door right? I felt like a total pervert for even thinking that thought. I was going to get up and leave right then and there when the moaning increasted.

I felt like I was listening to something I wasn't supposed to. Was he really fucking the secretary? The door suddenly felt hot and my heart began beating erratically, like a snare drum that just wouldn't stop.

I grasped the door handle for support. The metal felt awkward against my clammy skin. I internally debated going in there and seeing what was going on, or pretending like I had heard nothing when I saw him 5 minutes later.

The female voice screamed.

I burst through the door, stumbling a few steps forward, nearly tripping over my own feet.

The sight that greeted my eyes was not what I expected.

The girl that he had spent extra time talking to yesterday about her essay was pinned up on a desk, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her fingers clutching at the fabric on his neck. Her face was flushed, her eyes hazed over with lust. The student seemed kind of sweaty too, for her white cotton tee stuck to her skin and her chest was heaving in desperate breaths. Hyuuga-sensei, however, had his hands on her hips and his face buried in the crook of her neck. He was just breathing slightly off kilter, shallow breaths rather than the huge gulps of air the girl had taken.

Time seemed to freeze.

I could not believe my eyes.

A student and teacher. Caught in the act.

Hyuuga-sensei slowly shifted his head from her neck, and looked at me with penetrating, lavender eyes. I gulped, backing up a step, my heart pounding furiously. His eyes kept staring at me. I swallowed again.

He let his lips curve up into a slight smile, just enough to show his whites. I caught sight of two elongated teeth. Weren't they called…canines…? My breath hitched up another notch. It was like my mind couldn't even process what was happening. They bore such striking resemblance to another sort of tooth, like…

…Fangs.

It was then that I noticed the slight smudge of crimson…"something" on the corner of his mouth. It sure didn't look like lipstick…and I was pretty sure I had an idea of what it really was. The thing that was pulsing through my veins at the very moment, pumping out of my jumping heart…the thing that started with a "B" and was usually of red color.

Blood.

I screamed.

The sound seemed to echo down the hallways and ricochet off the tile flooring.

"Holy shit!" I heard him swear, clapping his hands to his ears. The girl's eyes fluttered shut as she fell, limp, to the ground, without his hands to hold her up. She lay slumped upon the floor.

I stopped screaming to take a deep breath before shrieking again when I remembered the bloodstain on his mouth.

"Shit! Stop it!" he whispered urgently, scowling in the process.

I kept screaming, as if it would somehow get me out of this place, away, far, far away from this overly perfect human being. Who turned out not to be human after all. Damn it, he was a—

"I said, stop it," he hissed, dangerously low. In a second, he was in front of me, his cool fingers around my wrists, pulling them over my head. I tried to struggle out of his grasp, but to no avail.

I attempted to scream again. "Someone, please hel—," but was cut off by his other free hand, which clamped down on my mouth.

"Shush it!" he snarled, his minty fresh breath tickling my cheeks. "Shut the hell up."

I twisted and turned, writhed and squirmed, praying for a slight relapse, a chance to escape. I wrenched my knee upwards, but he seemed to be anticipating it and dodged it with ease.

"No, no, Kurenai-san," he whispered. "You came here for your punishment, right? For your detention? Do you think that physical assault on your teacher would lessen that sentence?"

I growled angrily behind his hand. "Shut your trap! You're no teacher!" But all that came out was a muffled "hmarphshurnghh!"

He smirked at this response, his fangs catching the light again.

I was quickly pinned against the wall by his body. It was just like yesterday: the air was electrifying. His warmth was penetrating through my thin top, and I could smell the scent that always lingered on him. Hyuuga-sensei growled low in his throat, his head coming up to the curve of my neck.

I felt his hands let go of my wrists and mouth, but it wouldn't have made a difference. I was melting into a puddle of helpless nerves. His affect on my sanity was impossible…I needed him to keep me up so I wouldn't collapse then and there.

He inhaled softly, letting his lips brush my neck. I felt a tingle erupt down my spine; a small tremor in my legs told me that my knees were shaking.

"Kurenai-san," he whispered. "The reason I brought you here was not to discuss the matter of your dress…but something else. It was just an excuse, and I partially felt that it was true…I couldn't have you distracting me with your body while teaching, could I? Without the protection of fabric, your scent became all the more enticing…"

"This is…" I breathed, "sexual harassment. Get off."

"Is that so? You should know that you shouldn't speak to teachers like that."

A teacher?

A spark lit behind my eyes.

What did he say?

My fingers clenched once.

Twice.

Shut up right now.

Slowly, I broke free of his magnetic pull on me. The spark jumped again.

He was no teacher.

A surge of _something_ defiant rushed trough me, dispelling the haze over my mind.

He had fangs.

Licked up blood.

He wasn't even human.

Hyuuga Neji was most definitely a vampire.

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><p>Surprise?<p>

Stay tuned. Will be up in a week or so. R and R :)


	3. Chapter 3

Ooooohhhhh a teacher and a vampire? Double the drama. So I really have no idea how college life works, so sorry ahead of time for any inaccurate information. Hope this was worth the wait. :)

Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

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><p>The sudden realization of this important fact brought me out of my stupor. In a second, I wrenched myself away from him, glaring with a passion. "Get away from me!"<p>

"Now, now," he said coaxingly, the smirk still upon his face. "Let's calm down now, shall we?"

Calm down? I was about to have my _neck_ punctured by some guy—who happened to be my teacher—during detention, which seemed like ten times the better option than staying here: so there was no _way_ I was calming down.

My hand flew to my neck, grasping for that shard, that shred of silver upon my neck. Without hesitating, I wrenched the necklace off with a strength I didn't even know I had, and held up the charm to him. The chain had snapped immediately, leaving a red welt on the back of my neck. "It's silver," I hissed, the cross glinting in the light. "And it's a cross. Double trouble. Stay back."

"What?" He whispered, looking slightly scared. "Hey, don't hold that thing so close—"

My head was in a fit of anger. Furiously, with more force than I could've imagined, I slammed the silver cross on the back of his hand.

A strangled gasp ripped from his throat at the contact, as if the very life was being sucked out of him. "No...argh!" He tried to twist and turn out of my grasp, attempting to wrench his hand free of the silver that blighted him.

I held on tighter, determined to make him fall in time for me to escape and warn anyone else. He struggled against me, and I only managed to press the cross on his hand closer. I couldn't let go: my life and blood depended on my physical strength. There wasn't much of it to begin with, but I just couldn't give up—

Suddenly, he stopped trying to break free, and gave me a knowing smile that sent shivers up my body. He just stood there, completely unfazed, as if nothing had just happened, as if the silver wasn't pressed to his hand. Time seemed to stop as he slowly pronounced two words, the smirk still upon his lips. "Just kidding."

I froze.

Oh shit.

In a second, I was pinned against the wall again, the silver having no affect on him whatsoever. He casually plucked my necklace out of my hands and crushed it into a little dime-like shape. So I guess I wasn't getting that back…in a wearable state anymore, anyways. Damn it all…how could this be? Silver was supposed to work against vampires, as were crosses, but he was completely invulnerable towards them. What sort of vampire was he?

Or maybe he was just lying about the whole vampire thing, but I highly doubted that.

"Wondering why your 'attack' won't work against me?" Hyuuga said, seemingly have read my very mind. I gulped and shut my eyes tightly.

"We're different now, us vampires. If only you guys didn't keep making up silly rumors and lies about us, we wouldn't have come over, you know?" I could distinctly feel his chest pressing against mine, the hard planes of his torso fitting into my curves. My hair was falling out of my ponytail, and I barely resisted the urge to tie it back up. Once I felt smooth lips on a dip in my collarbone, I tried pulling back, but failed miserably as he growled from his position. "No. Stay."

His hand grabbed my waist and pulled me even closer. My head lolled to the side, and my eyes began fluttering, trying to stay open.

The touch of his fingers danced across my skin, and I leaned in, wanting to feel perhaps even a bit more—

No, no, no! No matter how hot he was, no matter how much my body reacted to his, I…

My mind struggled to break free of his pull.

He was _really nice_ to look at.

No, he was a vampire. Vampires were defitely not attractive.

Mostly.

...I wanted to kiss him. Really bad.

I was obviously not in my right state of mind. I needed to get far away. This was a dangerous situation. How much longer until…

He should take me right now.

ARGH.

…This was not working. He needed to get off. Now.

I summoned up all my remaining strength, and with a burst of energy, moved to push him back.

That ought to work, right?

Yeah. If only he wasn't a vampire.

Too bad he was.

In a flash, my hands were caught. Hyuuga-sensei looked at me with eyes as mysterious as the full moon. They were clouded over in something indescribable.

I stopped struggling.

"Stay," he murmured again, fixing his eyes on mine.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

My eyes darted back and forth, and I saw him coming nearer. He was so near, I could feel the heat waves radiating off his chest.

"I'm going to drink your blood now. It's been enticing me for too long," he whispered, shifting his face to get access to my neck.

A voice was trying to push its way into my consciousness. I was dimly aware of the fact that it was screaming, "Fight back! Fight back, dammit!"

I ignored it. I just wanted him to touch me, to feel me, to do anything he wanted to me…I didn't care anymore. My body began slumping forwards, into his arms, closer, closer…

The voice started fading as I felt a tiny prick upon my neck.

Just then, the bell signaling the end of the day rang sharply in my ears, echoing in the caverns of my mind, and the voice jumped out.

I snapped back.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, pulling my neck out of his reach.

"Nothing now," he said, giving me that ambiguous smile again. "Class has ended. I advise you to leave, and think about your mistake. Understand?"

"How can you say that? You nearly raped me!" I screamed, bringing my hand up to slap him sharply across the face.

Well, it would've hit his face if he hadn't caught it.

"Raped? It's only rape if it's against one partners consent," he said calmly, staring at my trapped hand with interest.

My face heated up. "It was against my consent!"

"Hm, really? According to my memories, you were only too willing. Oh, and before you leave, remember that no one will believe you if you tell them I'm a vampire. The story is just too far fetched, don't you think? And just for the record, I don't like easy catches. And you were very, very easy."

He sent me a mocking smirk, and left, dropping my hand in the process.

I was left alone in the detention room, save for that unconscious girl.

What the hell just happened?

Oh, right.

My teacher was a vampire.

And he just said I was an easy catch.

Excuse me?

I gnashed my teeth together in unrivaled fury. Easy?

I'll show you easy, asshole.

* * *

><p>"Please open your textbooks to page 314 and answer questions one through ten. Remember…complete sentences. Turn in the assignment by the end of class."<p>

My eyes flickered to the girl who was assaulted by Hyuuga-sensei a few days ago. Her memory of the event seemed to have disappeared, for she showed no recognition of him being a vampire. She had that stupid look of adoration on her face like she usually did. She didn't remember, which meant that I was still the only one who knew of his true identity. I sighed and turned back to my work. A few seconds later, I was interrupted by a topic that I had no intention of discussing.

"He's as dreamy as always," sighed Sakura, absentmindedly doodling in her notebook. "How he stays so hot every day is beyond me…"

Could you imagine how I felt right then?

Like CRAP, for your information. Being stuck with a very lovesick Sakura was never a good thing.

Out of nowhere, I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my spine, and I immediately knew that Hyuuga-sensei was staring at me.

Again.

I met his look head on, glaring at him with all the strength in my body. Sometimes I felt my glares were so powerful that if he wasn't a vampire, he would have a hole burned through his head by now. This had been going on for a week since the incident. Neither one of us was willing to give in, yet every time our eyes met I would feel as if he was taunting me.

Easy catch, aren't you?

He gave me a smirk and turned away.

Angrily, I clenched my fingers into fists. No matter what that vampire did, he always managed to get me worked up over everything. I wanted nothing more than to show him I wasn't some weak little girl like some whores in our class.

He needed to know that I was more than just a sure-to-be-victim.

I would be the hardest conquest he ever tried.

I set my perfect handwritten assignment on the stack of papers moments before the bell rang. It was just me and him now in the classroom. I had told Sakura I needed to ask him some questions and that she should leave without me.

"Told anyone yet?" he asked once the door closed.

"No," I answered, crossing my arms. "Fucked any new girls yet?"

"Countless," he hissed, licking his lips. My eyes, as if drawn to it, followed the simple, fluid motion.

Suddenly, I snapped out of the trance and backed away. "Will you stop doing that?" I shouted angrily.

"Doing what?" Hyuuga-sensei asked innocently.

"Trancing me!"

"That is not a word, Kurenai-san."

I hated the fact he was an English teacher.

"I mean, stop putting me in these funky trances! One day, I'm going to do something I'll really regret, and it will be your fault entirely."

"Oh, don't tempt me," he said, rolling his eyes. "As if I would want to put someone like you under my spell. You're nothing out of the ordinary."

I was _not_ ordinary.

I was an individual who deserved more respect from her asshole-ish bloodsucking teacher.

It was his entire fault. Everything was his entire damn fault!

I was going to pay back the pain in full.

I quickly changed my facial expression to a coy one, adorned with fluttering eyelashes and a breathless voice.

"Am I really…that ordinary, Neji-sensei?" I murmured, keeping my eyes downcast and twirling a strand of dark hair between my fingers. "I personally think I'm very alluring. Is my scent not tasty enough for you?"

For just a moment, there was a flash of something dark behind his eyes, and then it was gone. "Nice try, Kurenai-san. Now leave my class or you'll be late for your next one."

I left fuming, slamming the door behind me. I heard Hyuuga-sensei chuckle and shuffle some papers, like he was enjoying my misery. I wouldn't have been surprised if he did.

Plan one: fail.

* * *

><p>Stay tuned. Will be up in a week or so. R and R :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hope this was worth the wait. :) It's a little more...uh...interaction?

Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

* * *

><p>"It's Sasuke! Oh, god help me, he's looking at me! What should I do? Fainting is a good option, no?"<p>

"Shut up, Naruto."

"But Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto," I sighed, "It would be a good idea to keep your mouth shut. He looks like he's about to kill you."

And indeed he did. The cold-hearted king (although he was insanely hot) looked so pissed, his eyes had a red tint to them. "Thank you, Tenten," he managed to force out between gritted teeth.

I smiled. Ah, Sasuke. What a silly fool. Well, the term applied more towards Naruto, but you know. Sasuke could have had it all, really. He could've ditched our normal group for the more popular people who only went for brawn and beauty. He had more than both. But, the fool decided to stay with us, stating that he would "rather spend his time with weird people, rather than people who didn't know who he really was."

In Sasuke language, it's: "I love you guys. The others suck."

And now, we were walking with said ice-cube prince to go meet up with Hinata. And with us, in tow, was…

…Naruto.

Man, I loved that annoying, hyperactive kid. He was the life of our group, the bottle of sunshine that upped anyone's mood.

Except for Sasuke. But he doesn't count.

And my mood, unlike his, was totally being upped right now.

"There she is!" I yelled once I caught sight of navy blue hair. "Hinata! Hinata! We're here! Come over!"

I saw a gentle smile grace her features as she jogged over. "Hey," she said quietly. "How's it going?" All was well for a few seconds.

But the trouble started once she caught sight of Naruto. Immediately, her face grew bright cherry red and her pale eyes shot to the floor.

Then her feet started scuffing the sidewalk, and her index fingers started pushing together.

And then the dreaded stutter. "H-hi, N-n-naruto-kun…"

Idiots in love.

Bleh.

And yet, it was so cute.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura shove Naruto in the gut with her elbow. "Answer her, idiot! Say something!" I heard her hiss.

I laughed internally.

"Uh, hey Hina-chan! What's going on? I haven't seen you since the last time I visited your coffee place. How's it going?" The blonde idiot tried. It would've been a good opening for a conversation if Hinata weren't so totally infatuated by him. I could almost hear what was going through her head.

_OMG he's talking to me. OMG he's talking to me. OMG he's talking…_

And cue the super-flamed blush.

And cue the profuse sweating.

"Hey, are you ok, Hinata-chan? You look like you might be sick," Naruto said with concern in his voice. He moved to brush his palm across her forehead. "You're really burning up."

And finally, cue the faint.

Sakura seemed to foresee this, and moved to catch her before she hit the ground. He just sighed and punched Naruto in the head. "Can't you think straight for once, you idiot? This is the third time you've made the poor girl faint. So, it's going to be your responsibility to carry her to the Nurse's place and make sure she's ok. Byes."

And just like that, we left a poor Naruto on the sidewalk with a very unconscious Hinata.

"Good luck!" I called behind my shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled, hoisting Hinata in his arms. "Shut it, will ya?"

I had to admit, they looked really nice together. I couldn't help but snap a picture of their position from my phone, and hit save.

Then, being the terrible person I am…

…I sent it to all of our friends.

Life was good.

* * *

><p>"Now what?" groaned Sakura. "Half our party is gone! We went to go see Hinata, but she fainted, and Naruto is gone…what are we supposed to do?"<p>

I sighed and pursed my lips together. She had a point…and without Naruto, things were bound to get dull. Not to mention, listening to Sakura talk about Sasuke all the time (with him right next to us, even) was very boring.

Finally, Sasuke himself spoke up.

To be honest, I was actually expecting something worth hearing.

But, the guy never ceased to amaze me with his level of indifference. "I don't know."

Once again, it was up to me to set things straight. "I heard Ino is throwing a party today," I said. "It's in her dorm and stuff. Well, you know it's against the rules and all, but everyone goes to them anyways, right? And it's not like we ever get caught."

Sakura clapped gleefully. "A party? For what?"

Sasuke snorted. "Just because she can."

"It's at six," I noted. "That means that we only have a few hours. And we're supposed to bring food and stuff. But no alcohol, because you know Ino is so against that drink. And no cigarettes, because Shikamaru will get hooked."

"Yeah, we know," Sasuke drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But that's not the point. I mean, what are we supposed to do before the party, Sherlock?"

Crap.

Nice one, Sasuke. Why don't you become a lawyer or something?

"Well I don't know! Do you guys have any bright ideas then?" I said in exasperation, throwing my hands up into the air.

Sakura smiled. "I've got an idea, actually."

I was expecting something intelligent to come out of her mouth. But instead, I got: "Let's shop!"

"Yeah," Sasuke said sarcastically. "And then we can prance through a field of flowers while singing in the bright sunshine!"

In Sasuke language, that means "no way in hell."

"So what do you suggest then, oh-great-one?" I snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "If you must know, I was going to suggest we help each other do Hyuuga's assignment. You know, actually do something productive before the party?"

It really wasn't a bad suggestion. The vampire was really cruel with homework. I barely managed to finish the last one.

I got a 97 percent, but that's not the point.

If it were hard for me, it would be hell to finish a "small project."

Not to mention, he seemed bent on either working me to death or killing me by continuous harassment. I was not too keen on either of them.

So, without further ado, the studious group comprised of me, Sakura, and Sasuke made its way to the library.

Oh, joy.

"Theme of family? What the heck is wrong with this guy? There is no love, or family…everyone is an orphan and hates each other!" I whispered angrily across the library table.

He was really expecting too much from us. Ok, so we were smart. But we couldn't create an argument that made no sense out of thin air!

Sakura set the poster boards on the table. "But we still have to make a chart on it. So, which color do you think is best, Sasuke-kun? Red, orange, blue, white, or black?"

"Black," he said with absolutely no hesitation. "It's dark, just like the book."

"That's so creative!" she squealed, putting the rest of the boards in her bag.

Suck up. She just said that because she's been trying to get Sasuke for the longest time. Foolish.

Absentmindedly, I began fiddling with the black poster board, letting my fingers run over the edges. I hated working. Especially with homework that the evil vam—

"Ouch!" I hissed, looking at the deep cut that now spread across my pointer finger.

Sakura looked concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "It's just a small cut."

Ok, maybe it wasn't that small. Blood was starting to drip onto the table.

"Go!" she ordered. "Get a band-aid! Hurry, before it gets infected, Tenten!"

"Ok, ok…just start without me," I said hurriedly, cupping my uninjured hand under the cut so the blood made a puddle in my palm.

Oh fudgesticks. It was really starting to sting. And looking at blood drip into my hand was making me really nauseous. Quickly, I ran to the nearest person I could find. My eyes were fixated on the blood in my palms, so I didn't even notice whom I was talking to. I was always a little queasy when it came to blood, and my finger was dripping heavily with it. How thick was that poster board anyways?

I rapidly blurted out my dilemma, still cupping my hand tightly so blood wouldn't drip. "Hi, sorry to bother you. I'm bleeding. May I please have a band-aid?"

I wasn't expecting who was going to answer me.

"Why, certainly Ms. Kurenai," said a smooth voice, hinted with a bit of mockery.

It was Hyuuga-sensei.

Oh, the irony. Asking a vampire for a band-aid.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

He rolled his eyes. "Why? I can't be like a normal human and check out books?"

"You aren't a normal human, in case you haven't noticed by now," I snapped back. "Now can I get a band-aid or what?"

"Again, why must I repeat myself?" he said coolly. "You may certainly have one. Follow my to my classroom please, I have some located in my desk."

"Ugh, never mind! Your classroom is too far away. I'll just wash it in the sink, ok?" I said, turning away from him and heading towards the bathroom.

It really was a bit too long of a walk though, and cupping blood in my hands was really getting annoying. The sink would be quick and easy, and then I could help my two friends with the project he assigned.

However, Hyuuga-sensei's eyes flashed dangerously at my comment. "Tenten. You will follow me."

He called my by my first name.

Suddenly, I felt an invisible force of some kind turning me back around to face him. I took an involuntary step forward.

What was happening?

Oh, I get it. Another vampire trick.

"Just give into it," he said calmly. "It'll make it easier on the both of us."

Easier, huh. Funny stuff. Like anything regarding him was ever easy.

Blood continued to drip. I decided not dying from blood loss was a better option than retaliation, so I gave in. I sighed. "Whatever."

"Whatever?" he repeated, looking skeptical. "No, Kurenai-san. It is not 'whatever.' Having any sort of relationship with a vampire is never 'whatever.'"

I scoffed as I followed him down clean tiled floors. "Relationship? You just did some crazy trick to make me do whatever you say! Yeah, this is a relationship. Like between a master and slave or something like that! It's a damned relationship!"

"No swearing."

ARGH.

I bit the inside of my lip so hard that there was a metallic aftertaste.

Oh great. More blood. Just splendid, really.

We stopped in front of a classroom.

"We are here." He stated nonchalantly.

That door looked pretty unfamiliar to me. We didn't even make it out of the library building yet. What kind of joke was he trying to pull?

"This doesn't look like your classroom," I snorted, stepping inside the dark room. The only stream of light visible was a thin strip from the door crack. And from what I could see, the room was definitely unfamiliar. "Why, there's not even any bleachers—"

Before I knew it, I was shoved roughly against the door, and it closed. I felt a body pressed close to mine, and I instantly knew it was his.

That left us enclosed in the black room.

"Why must you do this to me?" I heard Hyuuga-sensei hiss out.

"Do what?" I said, starting to panic a little. "I didn't do anything!"

My eyes weren't adjusted to the darkness yet, but I could feel the ghost of his breath along my cheek, panting and very tantalizing.

Goosebumps broke out on my body, and I shivered.

The breath traveled to my ear. "Don't cut yourself ever again. This is for your own good."

With that, I felt something warm close around my cut.

Was he sucking on my finger?

I could feel his tongue caressing my wound, toying with it, licking it, and overall, doing very, _very_ naughty things. A flick of his tongue ran across the length of the cut, smoothing it over and over again in a repeated fashion. It swirled again, tapping against my nail playfully. If only it was my mouth inste—

Shit! What in the world is running through your mind, Tenten?

Even though I was reprimanding myself, a small flame still heated every part of my body, as if a fire was running through my veins.

His tongue caressed my finger again. I barely kept in a suppressed moan. He was doing such _naughty_ things…

My own tongue licked my lips in nervousness, tasting the metallic taste again. The blood started crusting upon my lips as well. I hoped he wouldn't notice.

He grabbed the wrist of my other hand, the one with the blood still pooled in it. I felt his mouth press with sudden urgency against my burning hot skin, lapping up the red liquid. A guttural sound erupted from his throat in satisfaction. My hand trembled as his hot mouth sucked up the blood, nipping and biting the skin in the process. His tongue managed to travel along the crevices in my palm, making sure every last drop was taken, and not a bit was wasted in his hurried rush.

My breath was starting to get ragged now. Tingles erupted everywhere, and my heart was pounding furiously in my chest. How did he manage to do that? Reducing me into a puddle of helpless nerves, barely letting my sanity stay intact…

The desire to moan was quickly taking over.

Slowly, after taking one last lick, he let go of my palm. I let out a strangled whimper that I didn't even know I had. I knew that if I could see myself right now, my face would be scarlet and my hair mussed. But even under the dim light, I could see his lavender eyes shining in the darkness, like moons.

I was transfixed.

"Don't think I didn't notice, Tenten," he murmured, closing in on me.

The heat grew bigger.

"You have blood on your lips, don't you?"

"No. I really don't, I swear, " I panted, nearly choking on my own spit. I still wasn't ready to give in to him…but those eyes of his…

They were so pretty.

His face inched nearer, till our lips were barely millimeters away. He chuckled, a hint of his fangs glinting in the low light. "Oh, please. You're a terrible liar, aren't you?" The space between us heated up with every breath. I could see every lash on his perfect eyes, growing nearer still.

My blood was boiling. He was so close.

His breath was minty fresh against mine, coating my lips with sweet air. I weakly struggled against his grip, but we both knew it was pointless.

I had been in his grasp from the very beginning I cut my finger.

"Don't you think this is wrong?" I whispered through my panting mouth. My eyes were threatening to drop closed and to let the hypnosis take over.

"Not at all…" he murmured, still not moving from his place. "It's the natural way of the world. Hunter and prey. Nothing more."

Suddenly, his eyes grew wide, and a slight look of panic crossed over his face. He quickly moved away from me, took my wrists and pushed me into a corner, his eyes darting around the room.

The spell was broken.

"Hey!" I spat, using the wall to push myself back up. "What's the big deal?"

"Shut up," he hissed, crawling literally on top of me, also hiding in the darkness of the corner. "Someone's coming. Keep your voice down."

I obeyed without a thought, the adrenaline pounding through my veins. I could distinctly hear every beat of my heart pounding through my shirt. I hoped the intruder wouldn't hear it.

If we were caught, my reputation would sear up in flames. I would get kicked out. I...wouldn't be able to get a job, and forever be a homeless woman on the streets...

"Shhh..." he murmured, brushing his nose against my neck and hugging my waist from behind. I could feel every breath he took as his chest pressed against my back, head settled on the crook of my neck. We were crouched in a corner, his body caging me down. My face was flushed with hotness. "Adrenaline rush does not make for better tasting blood. Just wait it out," he murmered.

Slowly, the door creaked open, shedding light into the dark room.

Whoever it was, if they discovered me in the position with Hyuuga-sensei...I would have a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

><p>AHHHHHHHHH<p>

That was long. I deserve some reviews, don't you think?

:)


	5. Chapter 5

Well, summer is here, hopefully that means more updates if I can get off my lazy bum to do it.

Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

* * *

><p>The door creaked open slightly, and the small thread of light that the door gave out grew bigger. I held my breath, willing my heart to slow down.<p>

"Shhh…" Hyuuga-sensei murmured gently. "Stay calm, Tenten."

He said my name again.

I gave a curt nod of my head in response, though on the inside I was shaking. What if we got caught? What would happen? Would I get expelled? Would they call my mom and demand that she ground me for weeks on end?

Or worse.

She would discover that he was the most perfect being in the world and force me to marry him.

I closed my eyes and shivered in horror. If that were to happen, my future would be shrouded in an endless pit of darkness.

But the room was illuminated by the light in the halls. A figure stepped in with a steady click of the shoes, fingers leaving the doorknob. I watched the growing shadow, not daring to look up.

"I was sure I heard something, Gai-sensei!"

I let out my breath in relief. Thank goodness, it was Lee. Even if he saw us, his innocence would not be disturbed.

That guy was as perceptive as a doornail.

"Do not worry, Lee!" came the booming voice of who I assumed to be Gai-sensei. "The unblooming flower of knowledge will sure awaken at another time! We must take into consideration that the power of imagination may have deceived us once more! But we must forgive it for doing so, because it just wants us to know the flower is not ready for picking yet!"

Ok. That totally ruined the mood. What nonsense was this guy spewing? I was suddenly very glad I didn't have this guy for a teacher. My education would have been ruined.

"Gai-sensei!" yelled Lee in excitement. "I do not understand!"

"That is because your flower of knowledge has not bloomed yet! Let our patience show it that we can wait it through until the end!"

"You are amazing, Gai-sensei!"

"No, Lee! You are the one who is amazing!"

I rolled my eyes. Really now.

They chatted a while longer. My thighs were burning from the build up of lactic acid, and I couldn't help praying for them to _get the hell out._

"Gai-sensei, what can I do so I can become a strong role-model like you?"

A blinding flash of a white-toothed grin glinted in the darkness. "Why Lee! You should not worry about being like me. Your own person is enough. There will be many instances in time where being like your wonderful sensei will not help you...but being yourself will."

"Gai-sensei! Thank you for bestowing upon me a piece of your eternal wisdom!"

"Lee, I'm glad we had this talk..."

Get out. Getoutgetoutgetout. Holy crap, my legs were really about to collapse. And sweat was beading on my forehead.

I really needed a shower when I got out of here.

"...Just remember, knowledge is power! Let the flower bloom to it's potential!"

"I understand sensei!Thank you for guiding me!"

And just like that, he door clicked shut, and I was enveloped in the blanket of darkness once more.

* * *

><p>"Well, that was a close call, wasn't it?" came a voice from above me. I was so focused on the intruders and my burning legs that I didn't notice I was absolutely on the floor with Hyuuga-sensei on top of me in a very intimate position.<p>

One that we shouldn't have been in at all. As if I had snapped out of a trance, I realized that he had licked blood from my hands, and was about to move to my mouth before Lee had busted in.

Thank god he did, or a nonhuman creature would have stolen my first kiss.

I owed Lee big time.

"Get off me," I growled as I pushed him off and clambered up against the wall. I was a little wobbly on my feet (my legs were sighing with relief) and all the blood was rushing to my head. The room spun around for a while before settling in its rightful place.

Quickly, with as much dignity as possible, I walked over to the door, ready to make my escape.

I really should have seen it coming. I mean, he foiled so many of my attempts to leave, I should have anticipated him stopping me this time.

But of course, I didn't. So it came as a total surprise when his body trapped me against the door and I could feel his hot breath against the back of my neck, sending firecrackers up my spine. His fingers gently brushed the joint between my hip and leg.

Involuntarily, I shivered against his touch. He was right behind me, his body pressed close up next to mine.

Hyuuga-sensei's other hand was clamped on the door handle, preventing me from leaving.

"Let me go," I whispered, reaching for the handle. "Sakura and Sasuke are still in the library. They'll be waiting for me."

"What a wonderful excuse," he snarled, a hot puff of air escaping his lips. "But I won't let you off that easy next time, Kurenai-san. And you owe me one for healing your cut."

"I owe you nothing," I murmured, trying not to concentrate on the points of contact between us. Everywhere my body touched his, a small flame flickered, burning and caustic. It was distracting. Everything about the guy was distracting my strong, one-track mind.

"You owe me plenty. And I'll get it eventually," he said in a voice that sent tingles up my spine in anticipation.

Anticipation? No. I meant dread.

His palm flattened against my stomach, and then gently stroked the skin under my shirt. The other hand left the doorknob in a brief few seconds, just long enough to caress my jaw line and let the fingers swipe my lips. I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes, envisioning his lips along my neck.

The darkness changed into light. I opened my eyes.

I was back in the library as if nothing had happened. Hyuuga-sensei was nowhere to be seen.

"Where were you, Tenten?" said a worried looking Sakura as she rushed over. "We were getting anxious! Did you get your band-aid?"

"Oh—uh—I—" was all I managed to stammer out. How could I forget? That damned teacher.

Quickly, she grabbed my hand for inspection. After turning it over a few times, she seemed relieved. "Wow, you heal fast. I can't even tell you were cut! Careful next time, okay?"

I too, examined the area.

There was not a drop of blood in sight.

There was no trace of the cut either.

Just what kind of vampire was he?

* * *

><p>"Party time!" cheered Sakura after another hour of hard work.<p>

I let out a tiny laugh as I rolled up the troublesome poster board. "Well, aren't you excited?"

Sasuke growled low in his throat. "Not particularly. We still need the food and stuff."

I mentally slapped myself. Of course.

"No need to worry," smiled Sakura, reassuring me. "Naruto called when you were getting band aids. He said he would take care of the food and drinks."

"Oh, that's good," I said in relief. "How's Hinata? Is she able to come?"

Sasuke nodded. "The moment the idiot carried her over to the Nurse's, she woke up. They spent the few hours together buying the stuff for the party."

Ah. Hinata. Of course. Naruto would've forgotten about the food—thank goodness a responsible girl like her was around to keep him in check.

"Do you think…you know…that _they'll_ finally get together today?" Sakura asked as we strolled out of the library. "They've been dancing around each other since forever! I wish that they could just admit that they aren't just childhood friends anymore."

"Yeah," I laughed. "I thought he was supposed to be a genius and all. Well, he's obviously stupid when it comes to her, you know? It is so obvious that they should be together."

Sasuke groaned. "Why must girls always butt into other people's love lives? They don't need your help. They can get together by themselves."

I scoffed. What nonsense was he spouting? "All we're doing is giving them a little push in the right direction! I have a feeling that this party will definitely bring them together this time."

"Yeah…but I hope Temari isn't there. I love the girl and all, but she just makes it so hard for them to move any further," said Sakura, blowing out her cheeks. "I think she's just jealous that Ino got on Varsity cheer."

I scoffed. "But that was like, so long ago! No need to hold a grudge."

She shrugged in response. "Well, I don't know. Temari can be a bitch at times. And you know, all that drama a few months back with Shikamaru and everything…I'm not even sure if Ino wants to forgive him."

Yeah. Ino was the type. If you got on her nerves, you paid.

No joke. She almost sent a girl to a hospital because she bullied Hinata.

Man I love that chick.

Groaning, I answered, "I hope Shikamaru finally comes to his senses today. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!"

Yeah. It was not the best.

* * *

><p>Uhh, kind of a filler chapter, but much ShikaIno next time. :)<p>

And the Nejiten development is an ickle-bit slow, but it will get there...

...eventually.

R & R! Constructive criticism appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

Sigh, oh the drama. Forgive me if my cases are wrong, AP Gov was a LONG time ago.

Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.

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><p>Quite possibly, it was the worst thing that could've happened. Literally. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. It went along the lines of this.<p>

When we arrived with our drinks and snacks in hand, the party was already in full swing. People were grinding up against each other, the place was stuffy, tight, and sweaty.

Really sweaty.

And there were a lot of sluts.

Not counting me and Sakura of course. Everyone dresses like a slut these days…except for Hinata, who wore Bermuda shorts. Bermuda shorts! Those things ride like, all the way to the knees.

I, on the other hand, wore a white tee, some funky necklaces, and a short skirt.

So it wasn't exactly slutty per say…but pretty close.

Sakura went full out with a tight dress and stilettos. How she managed to dance in those shoes remains a mystery.

And finally, Sasuke and Naruto, whose ideas of a party outfit consisted of a T shirt and shorts.

Yes, they lacked creativity.

So we went dancing, and everything was fine for about half an hour.

And then guess who decided to make a surprise visit?

Temari.

"Hey Ino," she said cheerfully, waltzing through the doorway. Ino had the expression of a girl who had just gotten pied in the face. "I heard you were having a party. Don't mind if I join in, do you?"

I could see the steam coming out of her ears, and I knew that on the inside, she was saying "fuck off bitch and get out of my place".

But she decided not to say it out loud, and instead smiled sweetly and answered, "of course! Do come in."

Idiot.

"Thanks!" Temari chirped, immediately going onto the dance floor. She grabbed Shikamaru, who was casually talking to Shino, and spun him into her arms. Then, she proceeded to have sex with him with clothes on. At least that's what it looked like. And the next thing I knew, Ino ran out and slammed the door, right as Temari pulled him in for a French kiss.

And so there I was, running after one of my best friends.

"Ino! Ino! Wait!" I yelled, desperately chasing after her.

"Just leave me alone!" I heard her reply in a choked voice, running faster still, her hands wildly wiping her eyes.

Oh hell no. She was crying?

My heart broke, and I suddenly felt tears spring into my own eyes. "Ino!" I called, running faster until I finally caught up to her. Her slim frame was shaking with sobs. She sat down on her doorstep, face clutched in her hands, and her blond hair loose and messy. Her body curled up in instinct, as if to shield herself from any more harm.

"Oh honey," I said, pulling her into a bear hug and stroking her long hair, trying to keep the tears welling in my eyes from falling out. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my shirt, crying uncontrollably.

"He—he—" she hiccupped, interrupted by yet another howl and fit of sobs.

"Shhh…shhh…." I soothed, calmly patting her back and murmuring encouraging words. "It's ok honey…calm down. Take deep breaths, kay? Shhh…"

Slowly, the sobs subsided and she looked up, eyes rimmed with red. Yet, she still looked drop dead gorgeous. "Sorry about your shirt," she mumbled, wiping tears from her eyes. "It got all wet and stuff…and…" She hiccupped again, a few tears falling down her cheeks.

I brought a hand to her face and wiped them away. "Oh Ino…I am so sorry," I murmured, pulling her into another hug. The poor girl…her heart was shattered. I saw the pain, sadness, and jealousy written over her face before she started weeping again into my shoulder. I felt the need to cheer her up in any way possible. "He is such a scumbag." Maybe not the best word choice. "Can't you…" I paused for a moment. "Can't you just let him go? All the guys are lining up for you…yet you had to choose the one who sat in a corner, lazily assessing the situation. There are so many fish in the sea…why wait for a bird?"

"But I love the bird! I can't let him go, Tenten. We've been together for so long…he's the missing piece to my puzzle and shit like that! I just hate it how he always ends up with Temari and…" Another tear emerged, and she quickly wiped it away. "And I never end up with him. He…he's stuck with me all this time. Sometimes I feel like I've pulled him down, you know? That our childhood friendship prevented him from going places he wanted to. He's always been the smarter of us two, and he could've gone to amazing places and done more wonderful things than he already has…yet, he decided to stay with me. I can't help thinking that he felt _obligated_ to stay since we're close. And if he does…"

At this, she took a strangled, rattling breath, tears emerging from her eyes again.

"Maybe," she choked out, "Maybe Temari would be a better choice for him. If I can't make him happy, I'm sure she'll be able to—"

"Shutup."

Did I say that?

No. The voice was definitely more masculine, and had a kind of drawling slang to it.

"Ino, is that really how you feel? That you pulled me down? You couldn't be more wrong."

I looked up, and found Shikamaru standing above us, his face pulled into a frowning line. He couldn't have come at a worse time. Knowing Ino, she was more than pissed at him for hitting it off with Temari. Even though she spilled all the beans to me…she was definetly going to put up a tough act and scream in hysterics.

Suddenly, Ino pushed me away with a force I didn't know she could muster. I fell and skinned my elbows on the concrete, and watched as she pulled herself up.

She stood and faced Shikamaru and opened her mouth.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls, "I never want to see you again. GET OUT! GET OUT, DAMMIT! FUCK YOU!" She screamed so harshly, the statement seemed to tear at her throat. Ino choked on her sob for a moment before she continued with her tirade. "You and Temari can go fuck in a corner or something, for all I care! You never liked me, did you? You felt sorry for me, didn't you? Well you know what? You don't need to feel that way anymore. I'll take care of my own damn self, and my shitty life. Get out of my sight, Nara, and take your new girl with you!"

Shikamaru's eyes flashed before he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Ino," he murmured, stroking her hair. "You're crying. Why are you crying? You know I hate it…your sky blue eyes are so cloudy. Usually I like clouds, but not when they're in you eyes. Please stop, ok?"

I smiled to myself. Of course, Shikamaru could play the romantic at a time like this.

He wiped the tears from her face, kissing the salty streaks they had left behind. "I would never leave you," he whispered. "I would give up anything for you. You know that. And while Temari makes my heart flicker like a candle, you make me burn like an inferno. I need you, Ino, but if you want me to leave, I will. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy. And if leaving is one of them," at this, he gulped and his breathing became ragged, "then I'll do it."

Slowly, he let go of her and stepped back, a sad smile on his face.

Oh dear. He didn't…he wouldn't…

"Bye, Ino."

He turned and walked away.

The look on Ino's face was that of pure panic. I managed to hold back what I wanted to say. I knew she had to make the decision on her own, before he walked out of her life forever.

Go now, I mentally urged. Now, Ino! Or else he'll never come back.

She stood where she was, torn between her urge to run to him and the desire for him to have a better life without her. I could see the internally struggle, her little step forward and her little step back. Her hand reached out for him, and then lay down at her side.

Go. NOW.

And then, it was like she had gotten my telepathic message or something, and she ran full sprint ahead, stumbling, hiccupping, and crying across the pavement. Her momentum carried her forward until she reached him. Shikamaru stopped walking, turned around with a knowing smile on his face, and caught her in his arms.

"I knew you'd come back," he whispered, and he pulled her into one of the sweetest kisses I had ever seen.

When they broke apart, Ino whispered back. "I wish I could've kissed you a long time ago. I've been waiting for the chance forever."

And then they went into a super-heated make-out session. I decided to leave them before they did anything R-rated, and went back to the party.

Everything was perfect! I felt my insides bubble with happiness and excitement. Two of my best friends, the perfect couple, were finally together. Looking back on it…it was like a soap opera. A really cheesy soap opera. But the ending was happy, and that's all that really mattered at that moment.

Until I got back to the dorm, and saw Hyuuga-sensei standing in front of Ino's door.

I gulped.

He gave me a cold and unnerving smile that chilled me to the bone. "I heard that there was some sort of young-adult activity going on here," he said smoothly.

This could not be good.

* * *

><p>"Are you going to answer me, Ms. Kurenai?"<p>

My palms were getting cold and clammy, like they always did when I got nervous. "Um…define young adult activity please?" I asked meekly.

"Like a sex party," he answered bluntly. "like the kind that is probably happening behind this door."

No, no no!" I said, laughing awkwardly. "That's uh…merely some ruckus at a study get together."

LAMEST EXCUSE EVER.

"Yeah," he answered sarcastically. "And I'm a human. You know that parties are not allowed within dorms. Especially on school nights. I'm going to break this up right now, and you guys better be ready to face the consequences, got it?" he moved to open the door. I knew it was unlocked.

I grabbed his arm instinctively in panic. He could not kill off this party. I had to stall. "No, I don't 'got it.' Um, uh…please leave! You're violating the fourth amendment—no unreasonable search and seizure! This is clearly a violation," I argued. "I don't want you to have to go to jail. Think of this as repaying you for healing my cut, 'kay?"

He smiled that calm smile again. "Nice try, Ms. Kurenai. But as you remember, search and seizure is allowed when there is a slight suspicion. TLO case, remember? And p.s.—children in school have limited rights."

He was good at politics too.

Argh.

He leaned forward a bit, allowing a few strands of coffee hair to spread over his eyes. Now how about telling the truth, Ms. Kurenai?"

I allowed my eyes to travel to the window. Lights off. Which meant that everyone had escaped out the back, and all evidence was eliminated.

Wonderful.

No.

Not really. Not until I was gone from his gaze, until he left and I could breathe freely again.

So, I did the only logical thing I could do at the moment. I smiled sweetly at him, earned an eyebrow raise, and ran.

I could hear him chuckle "you just earned another detention. See you on Monday."

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><p>Ahh, the cheese.<p>

New character next chapter, hope you love her. :)

R & R! Constructive criticism appreciated :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Hm. New character right? You'll "love her" right? :D **

**It's been a while. **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

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><p>It was Monday.<p>

And boy, was I dreading it.

Over the weekend, the same images kept flashing though my mind…over and over and over again. I tried to push the stop button and get on with my life, but the stupid teacher—vampire—whatever, kept getting in my way.

See you on Monday.

Detention day.

The moment I heard my alarm ring that morning, signaling a fresh start, a "new tomorrow," my heart plummeted into my stomach.

This was one day I had not been looking forward to.

I pulled the covers closer, relishing the smooth, cool feel of the sheets. I could just lay there for a while right?

Yeah, and oversleep.

Sighing in resignation, I reluctantly dragged my unwilling self out of bed to get ready. My dorm buddy, Matsuri, was an extreme morning person—her sheets were already made neatly.

I rubbed my eyes.

Another day of boringness.

Oh joy.

* * *

><p>Sakura's pep was not helping in the least. She could tell that something was wrong with me, and kept trying to make it better. I knew she was just trying to help, but at that moment I felt like gagging her with a sock.<p>

"Are you sure you're alright? Was it too hot in the dorms last night? You should go see the nurse," she said worriedly, looking up at me with bright green eyes.

I hated her for looking so good on a Monday morning.

"I don't need a nurse. I am fine. I was not hot in the dorms last night," I replied through gritted teeth.

She looked skeptical. "Look, we're sorry about the whole 'leaving you to fend for yourself' thing at Ino's party, but we had no choice! I can't afford to get on Hyuuga sensei's bad side, you know?" she added the last part pleadingly.

"It's not that."

Shaking my head, I opened the door to the hellhole—I mean classroom. I crawled up to my seat and plopped down with my head in my hands.

Today was not off to a good start.

Sakura sat beside me, still looking with worried eyes. She averted her gaze eventually, but the look on her face was full of concern.

The guilt started to bubble, but I pushed it down. I could not afford to feel miserable for myself any more than I already did.

"Good morning," came the crisp voice that I had been dreading to hear. I looked up slightly to see a sardonic smile on his face, gray eyes shifting slightly to meet mine. I looked away, not willing to see his face.

Not that it was bad looking or anything.

"Now to start off today, I know you all have read chapters 13 to 16 since last week, right?"

Most everyone murmured a yes. I kept my head down, closing my eyes and noticing how nice the table felt on my cheek. I could just sense that he was sending a glare to me. I chose to click "ignore".

"The lecture today," he said through what sounded like clenched teeth, "will be on the psychological effects on how lack of sleep determines learning ability in class. Our prime example is Ms. Kurenai, who kindly is modeling for us."

My face burned up in heat as I felt the stares of everyone in the lecture area. I had never been more embarrassed, but I tried not to show it.

He was not going to get me more riled up. I took a slow, deep breath and lifted my head off the table, smiling. "I do believe this is an English class, not a psychology one Hyuuga-sensei," I replied. "Unless the psychological effect of lack of sleep determines memory loss, in which of course, you would be a prime example."

His face was priceless.

"Haven't forgotten what you teach, do you?" I continued. "I am well aware that you are by _far_ more intelligent than I am, but please take into account that No Child Should be Left Behind, and thus you must match your intelligence level with ours for the time being."

Sakura's mouth was agape, eyes wide in horror.

I had just said something really stupid, but it was one of those moments that you wouldn't trade for anything.

Except for a month full of detentions, which I received courtesy of my teacher.

I snorted. I had only gotten a few detentions in my whole life, and suddenly Hyuuga-sensei comes along and I get a month full of them, plus some.

Thank you, Fate. Really appreciate it.

* * *

><p>I sat down in the ice cold chair of punishment in detention. It was not a delightful experience, especially with the musty air in the room and the boring "tick tick" of the clock. I twiddled my thumbs idly, staring at my fingernails.<p>

_So this is how delinquents feel._

"Why aren't you working, sweetheart?" said a sickeningly sweet voice. "You're supposed to bring homework or something to work on when you arrive at detention."

I looked up, hoping to see an ugly hag.

Unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken.

She looked extremely young and had dyed her hair white, which should have looked really bad, but with her tan skin it didn't. Her lips were curved in a mocking smile as she crossed her arms, showing off her bright red fingernails.

I knew I was going to hate her.

"Hi dearie," she said in the same voice, addressing me out of the 40 students in the room. The boys turned and stared at her, then pretended they weren't when she made eye contact with them. She smirked, flaunting her body for a moment before redirecting her attention towards me.

I didn't answer her, instead giving a slight smile to know I had heard her. Then my fingernails were the source of my attention again.

"Dear," she said again, emphasizing the word with a dangerous hint of anger. "Take out something to work on…"

"Sorry, I didn't bring anything," I answered simply. It was the truth after all…what else did she expect?

Her red fingernails dug crescent marks into her arm. I could sense that she was about to blow. Her white hair was practically standing on end.

Inwardly, I laughed.

Witch.

"Do you know who I am?" She hissed. "Do work _now. Get up and find some work._"

I suddenly felt the urge to get up and do work.

It took all my energy and determination to clutch the edge of the table top to prevent myself from moving from my seat. With unbearable effort, I managed to force out: "I don't have anything. I'm sorry."

And just like that, I could move freely again.

She scowled for some strange reason, and asked again, with even more strength. "Miss," she emphasized, a hypnotic undertone beneath her voice, "I will ask once more if you will follow my directions and _find something to do. _Borrow something, whatever, just _DO IT._"

I literally found myself bound by her voice. My legs moved to stand, by fingers released the table—but I told myself no.

Stop it Tenten. STOP IT.

My hands shook with the strain of going against her orders. I barely managed to whisper: "You can't make me. If you want me to do something, why don't you give me something to do then?"

She hissed, and I swore her eyes were glinting red. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the anger dissipated. She smiled, and turned her back to me.

"Very well, I see you are not up for directions. That's fine. Everyone else, do work or stay silent for the rest of the detention. Those are your two choices, okay?"

The boys, completely infatuated, nodded with enthusiasm and began taking out things to work on. I, on the other hand, took the latter choice and put my head on the desk, ready to doze off.

I groggily pushed myself off the desktop when I heard the bell ring. I gathered the few belongings I had, and the piss-bitch hag sent me a chilling glare before I left the room. "Have a good day, dear."

I knew she didn't mean it.

* * *

><p>Hours later, each time I blinked, I saw her face in my mind. The white hair and the red fingernails were absolutely disgusting, so I had no idea why I was seeing her.<p>

"Tenten," said Sakura, jabbing me with one of her bony elbows, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, "just some issues with the detention monitor. She is such a witch."

Sakura laughed. "Detention? Wow. Yeah, I know some of them can be a bit mean, but—"

"She was more than mean. She was the epitome of people I hate the most." I scowled, pulling my jacket tighter around me. Not to mention, that lady was _manipulative._ I had no idea how she could influence me like that. It was like those movies with superheroes and mind control.

I tried to not think about it. Truth be told, I was hoping I would never have to see her again. Then I could forget the whole ordeal had ever happened, and I could cross her off on my "strongly-dislike" list.

Her voice, layered with power, still echoed in my ears. "Get out some work. NOW."

I shivered. Ew.

"Hey, what's going on?" said a chipper voice.

Thank goodness, it was Naruto. If anyone could improve my mood, it would be him. I saw him frown at my appearance. "You okay Tenten? You don't look too good."

"Quick," I said, grabbing his arm, "Give me some of your uncanny powers to make people happy. Now would be a really good time."

He shrugged. "Okay."

He started wildly waving his arms and dancing around me while others were watching with curious stares. I was embarrassed out of my mind, but I didn't give a care as long as he could kill off that lingering affect the detention monitor had on me. "Oh, evil spirits," he chanted, miming putting me in a box, "leave this poor young soul and let her rest in peace…"

"I'm not dying."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Uhhhhhh….evil spirits! Just leave!" Naruto yelled, throwing his hands up to the skies and making the most ridiculous jazz fingers I had ever seen.

Strangely enough, it worked. I was laughing at the oddness of his behavior, and his sheepish smile was more than enough to bring a grin to my face. Sakura punched him playfully. "Just go and become a therapist or something and give off your happy vibes. Oh wait, scratch that. You might give off some other things too…and one Naruto is already more than enough," she teased.

He chuckled. "Nah, the more the merrier!"

A sudden gust of wind blew my bangs across my face. And try as I could, my hair would not go back to it's original shape. Scowling, I reached for the hair band that was on my wrist. Might as well tie it up.

I grasped empty space.

It was not there.

I quickly checked my other wrist. No, not there either. I probably left it back in detention. I knew I should have just left right then and there, sacrificing my hair band, but I just hated losing things, especially a hair tie that was stretched just right.

"I'll see you guys later," I said, turning on my heels and rushing away. "I left something back in detention."

"Okay," called Sakura. "See you in Hyuuga-sensei's class!"

"Meet me at S.S. for coffee!" yelled Naruto. I gave them a backhanded wave to show I had heard them, and kept running back to the witch and her prison hole.

* * *

><p><strong>Hm, who is this mysterious detention lady? <strong>

**MUAHAHA find out next time!**

**...If you review, that is.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so sad. Harry Potter's over :(  
><strong>

**It's been a while! But I've been writing lots of Nejiten, so if you review, you might catch a lot of it :) **

**My goal you ask? By the 10th chapter, have 100 reviews or more.**

**My loyal readers, I'm counting on you!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>I opened the door, not expecting to find anyone in the room. But there was someone. Two someones actually, and one looked like she was committing sexual assault.<p>

"Neji," detention-hag crooned. Her fingers were trailing up his pressed collared shirt, and he looked exasperated. "Won't you give in and just come back? We all need you."

Hyuuga-sensei sighed. "Vi, stop it. We have company. Good day Kurenai-san, what may I assist you with?"

"I just came back for my hair tie," I mumbled, walking to the detention seat and picking a black band off the floor. "Sorry to bother you guys." My hand was already on the door when he called out, "Where do you think you're going?"

I froze. "Um, to the library?" I said, lying through my teeth. Maybe he would be dumb enough to believe me.

Or maybe not. He was a super-genius after all, so I wasn't surprised when he told me to take a seat and stop awkwardly standing in front of the door. The lady was extremely unhappy, for she was angrily tapping her foot and gritting her teeth. I sat down, quickly tying up my hair.

Hyuuga-sensei spoke. "I hear you were causing a little bit of a disturbance in my colleague's classroom."

The woman named Vi laughed. "Oh Neji, no need to call me that! We are old friends, right?"

"No, we aren't."

She looked like she had been punched in the face. I couldn't help but laugh on the inside. Hyuuga-sensei gave me I glare like he knew what I was thinking internally, and said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't cause misfortune for others."

"Wow, what a hypocrite," I snapped back. "Like you haven't been a sadist and enjoyed dishing out punishment to me each time you get a chance. Forget this, I'm leaving. I'll see you in a few hours." I stood up, and Vi screeched so loudly I felt my eardrums pop.

"How dare you go against his will! You may seem tasty to him, but to me, you're just a little mortal girl who can't take care of anything. I don't know what he sees in you, but let me tell you this. He refuses to come back to his world, and you're just making it harder for me to convince him! Why don't you just go and…" She grabbed my arm so tightly, she almost drew blood with her nails. Her eyes glowed red, and she smiled in the creepiest manner I have ever seen. "Jump out that window or something?"

I quickly turned to face the open window. My feet started moving without me telling them to, and panic was taking over. What was happening? Did she hypnotize me? I still had full control over my thoughts, so I knew that wasn't the case.

I fought back like I had a few hours ago, concentrating on immobilizing my lower half. From a distant crevice in my mind, I heard Hyuuga-sensei hiss. "Let go of her. Stop using the mind control needlessly, you'll only prolong your stay here."

But his words meant nothing. It was like an invisible force was dragging me to the window, pulling me and tugging me forward with each moment of resistance. I struggled to break free of the spell, finally grabbing onto a nearby table and holding on to it tightly.

"Stop it," I managed to say.

"Just do it," said Vi. "Like Nike, right?" she gave a laugh like she didn't really give a shit if I fell to my death from three stories high.

Hate like I never knew bubbled inside of me, and before I knew it I had rushed her, and a surprised look was etched on her face. She was on the floor, and my fist was centimeters from her face. "You ever do that again," I said, deathly quiet, "and I will bust your brains out."

"Is that a threat?" she snarled. "You'll get a year of detentions for that, you little weakling."

"Detentions? I've seen worse things." My fist was about to have a lovely meeting with her face when Hyuuga-sensei stopped me.

"That was an enjoyable event to watch," he said, easily twisting my fist away, "But I must warn you Miss Kurenai, that Vi is not a witch you want to cross."

I looked at her. Great. Another unworldly creature came to make my life a living hell.

"Some people from my…neighborhood sent her to take care of me while I'm here. She'll blend right in, but don't cross her, unless you value your life."

I wrenched away my hand, now wanting to punch him more than I wanted to harm the detention lady. "Nice talking with you," I said sarcastically. "And thanks for trying to save me when I was about to die. Oh, wait a second, you didn't do that, even though the event was happening right in front of you. What a lovely caring teacher you are. Thanks for nothing, and I really despise that face of yours. Too bad I'm going to see it in a few hours. If I go blind, maybe I won't have to look at you anymore."

That had to be the longest rant I had ever been through. But it felt so good to let it all out and his shocked face just added to my joy.

"Ha," I snarled, hitching my bag over my shoulder and tying the scrunchie in my hair, redoing the ponytail. "That's right. Fix that mug of yours, and maybe you might get laid."

With that lovely note, I left him and his stupid little girly friend in the detention room as I went to meet up with some others that actually cared.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?" Hinata fretted after I told her that no, the bruises were not from physical assault and that I had accidentally run into a corner.<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry."

"You have to be a bit more careful, Tenten-san. I don't want to keep seeing you get hurt," she said quietly. I rolled. I was sacrificing my reputation as having good hand-eye coordination just because some unworldly creatures decided to drop by for some fun.

She frowned and applied some ointment to my bruises. It had turned a lovely shade of puke yellow and dark purple.

"Sorry if it hurts," Hinata mumbled.

I laughed, shrugged it off, then winced at the pain ripping up my arms. That bitch Vi had a vice grip. Hinata seemed to notice my discomfort, and quickly blew on the bruise, giving me an apologetic look.

"Sorry," she mumbled again.

"No, I shouldn't have asked you to do this for me."

She smiled, and gently wrapped the bruise with a bandage. "I should be the one thanking you. Tenten-san, you've done a lot for me. I only wish I could pay you back."

"Aw, you don't need to do that. That's what friends are for, right?"

Before she could get out another word, there came a knock at the door.

"Coming," called Hinata, getting off the floor. She opened the door, and Sakura stormed in, ears flaming red.

"Woah," I said, getting up. She was never this mad. True, she was bossy, and a complete fangirl, and could sometimes come close to blowing…but this was bad. Like, worse than usual.

Ino followed after her, gave us a "She's-in-a-mood" look, and closed the door. Sakura immediately went to the bed and wrapped the comforter around her. She muffled a scream that lasted around twenty seconds and fell silent.

"You missed it. The S.S. incident," explained Ino, sitting on the floor next to me.

Ah. I had forgotten to get coffee.

Oops.

"I'll get some cookies," said Hinata quietly, looking at Sakura with sympathetic eyes. She silently slipped through the doorway.

"Mind filling me in?" I asked.

Sakura threw off the covers, suddenly in extreme anger mode. "Oh, I'll tell you what happened," she hissed. "I'm sitting there, all fine and dandy, talking to Ino and waiting for my coffee. Then, this little miss-priss-bitch with the ugliest mole on her face—wait, scratch that, it was more like a leech on her face—publicly _humiliates_ me! She goes and spills coffee all over me, and it was totally on purpose. No joke. Like, there was nothing there to trip on. She looked coordinated enough, but I couldn't really tell because she might have been lacking a few million brain cells—"

"In case you haven't noticed, she's a bit upset," whispered Ino.

"—I'm more than upset," yelled Sakura. "I'm completely furious! Okay, okay, so she purposely dumps a drink on me, right? And then she gives me a totally evil glare, and is like, 'Stay away from Sasuke. He's mine.' Like hell she has the right to say that to me! I have half a mind to find a box cutter and—"

"She gets a bit violent when angry," said Ino.

"Shutup Pig! You have no idea how much I hate her! If I find her again, She is going down. I am absolutely serious. And if she tells me to stay away from my man—"

"He's not really yours yet," interrupted Ino.

Sakura was livid. "Just because you have a boyfriend now, doesn't mean you can make fun of my single status!"

Ino turned bright red. I laughed a little on the inside. Now that she and Shikamaru were going out, it was like all the bumps in the road had been smoothed out. Temari had been pretty pissed off, but she accepted it and agreed not to fling herself over Ino's new boyfriend every time she saw him.

And boy, it was really awkward when I walked into them sucking face in the hallway. Not that I have anything against PDA…but when its two of your best friends, it's not really something you want to see.

"I…" mumbled Sakura, drawing the covers back up to her face. Her eyes looked a little red. "I just don't want to be…hated…or anything just because I'm going after…"

Hiccup.

Oh no…

Just then, my savior arrived, bearing a plateful of cookies. Without a word, I saw her light eyes assess the situation. Quickly, Hinata set down the cookies and sat next to Sakura, patting her head, rubbing circles on her back in comfort. Sakura snuggled close to Hinata, wrapping an arm around her friend. "They just don't get it," she said softly, wiping wet eyes. "I really like him."

"We know," said Ino bluntly, never one to be a sympathetic person. "But you shouldn't be a mopey Debby Downer. What should you really be mad about? The incident at S.S. That girl was a freaking bitch. You know what?" A grin spread across Ino's face. "Let's get her back."

Hinata frowned. "That's my coworker you're talking about."

"Yes!" yelled Ino. "Even better! Do you know anyone with red hair, black glasses, and a giant black, hairy mole on her face?"

Probably a beauty mark, but just my guess.

Hinata looked reluctant to say the name, but after an insistent stare from Ino, she sighed and relented. "Karin?"

"So that's her name," said Ino, getting a scary glint in her eye. "I'll make her life hell."

A chill ran up my spine. I was so lucky to have Ino as my friend. And with that threat she had uttered…I believed every word.

* * *

><p>"Step one. We need Sasuke."<p>

"_I_ need Sasuke…"

"We know that shit, Forehead. We need Sasuke to woo the bitch, then break up with her and humiliate her in front of a society of hundreds of people. That way, her love life is ruined, her social life is ruined, and she gets no friends because everyone is scared shitless that I'll do the same to them. It's perfect."

Ino was so scary.

"Don't swear in my classroom, please. And another request: Ms. Yamanaka, what in the world are you doing here? You should be attending another lecture."

Ino smiled brightly, glowing as much as her hair underneath the florescent lights. "Hyuuga-sensei, don't be such a stickler for rules! I'm a good student, right? I promise I'll catch up. I just need some time with my girls, to discuss…plans."

He raised an eyebrow like he always did, then looked at me.

I averted my gaze. Couldn't blame anything on me this time—it was all of Ino's free will.

"Ms. Kurenai, I assume you will be taking full responsibility for Ms. Yamanaka's actions."

…What?

"Whoa, hold up here," said Ino, eyes narrowing. "This is clearly my own decision. Not Tenten's."

"Yeah!" I blurted out. How could he do this to me? Oh, right…I insulted his face. And he hated me. And he wanted to drink my blood.

"Ms. Kurenai…"

The warning voice.

I was too upset to stop.

"What is with you always picking on me!" I shrieked. Everyone was staring now. I didn't care. "I'm sick of it! Ever since you turned up, you've been making my life a living hell, which I'm _sure_ you have plenty of experience with, right? But you know what? Whatever. I'll be taking my leave, thanks. Bye, see you later."

I angrily stuffed my laptop into my bag, slung it over my shoulder and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back, and Ino protesting: "she doesn't really mean it—she's just a bit upset—"

I didn't stay long enough to hear the rest.

Vampire or not, Neji Hyuuga was no longer any part of my mind. He had none of my concern.

I was not coming back to his classroom, nor looking at his face anymore, _nothing._

I was done.

* * *

><p>"He is going to kill you, Tenten."<p>

"I know…"

"That was really dumb of you."

"I know…"

"Do you regret it?"

I paused. Then grudgingly, I murmured. "Yes…"

"I knew it!" yelled Sakura, pounding the table. "You can feel other emotions!"

I scowled. "Not. Helping."

Right after I had…eloquently left the classroom, I found myself in deep trouble. Let's just say, Hyuuga-sensei wasn't exactly tickled pink by my choice of words. And he wasn't too keen on me ditching his class.

The counselors weren't too happy either.

I was let off with a stern reprimand, some threats, and a call to my parents.

"You did what?" my mother yelled. "Did we teach you nothing in regards to manners young lady?"

"This guy sounds like an asshole," commented my father.

It's clear where I got my personality from.

And now, I apparently needed have a little conference with Hyuuga-sensei, which was not _really_ what I wanted to be wasting my time doing.

"Ok. Repeat after me. Remember, we're trying to salvage what's little left of your reputation here," said Ino, wagging a finger in my face. "Repeat this." Her voice grew lower, as if to imitate my own. She started slowly batting her eyelashes. "I'm really sorry for what I said, Hyuuga-sensei. I really do care for your class, and I think you're a wonderful teacher. In fact, I also admire your voice, and the lovely way you stroke the keys of your laptop…"

Like hell I was going to say something like that.

"You're joking, right?" I said, dumbfounded.

"Kind of, yeah, but overall, not really," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Butter him up. Make him feel guilty about being mean to you, but also do it apologetically, so you emphasize that you believe you_ are_ at fault. Got it?"

"Ok," I mumbled. I didn't really want to tell Ino that if I said stuff like "stroke the keys of your laptop" he'd probably try to take my blood right then and there. I also didn't want to mention that I really wanted her to be with me in the classroom so I wouldn't be alone with Hyuuga-sensei.

Sakura looked at her watch. "It's almost time. You'd better get going…you'll be in a deeper pit of trouble if you end up being late."

The two girls each gave me huge hugs for good luck, then pushed me out the door. The air outside was crisp and cold. Slowly, I began trudging myself over to Hyuuga-sensei's classroom.

* * *

><p><strong>We finally find out who Vi is. Do you like her as a baddie? I do :D<strong>

**R&R for more Nejiten. Like TONS.  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**...Long time no see? I'll be going on vacation soon, and school's starting in less then a month (sad, I know), so there will be less updating, but longer chapters.**

***apologizing in advance for all the F-bombs in this chapter. I tried to lessen them...but it didn't flow well.  
><strong>

**_My goal you ask? By the 10th chapter, have 100 reviews or more._**

**_My loyal readers, I'm counting on you!_  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>Déjà vu style, really. No lie. I distinctly remembered waiting outside his classroom not too long ago, stumbling and discovering some very compromising circumstances. And here I was, outside the dreaded doorway again, hearing agonized and disturbing sounds coming from behind the wooden frame.<p>

I forced myself not to retch, and knocked twice.

No answer.

Not that I was surprised.

Sighing, I slumped to the ground and leaned against the wall. I could only wait it out, until Hyuuga-sensei was done feeding himself. Whether it was off sex or off blood was unclear.

Probably off both.

The pants were so heavy I could hear them through the walls. And they were made of cement. _Pretty loud._

I waited another minute for him to finish his business, which he did not. I then decided I was fed up with waiting and busted through the door without permission anyways.

A girl was lying on her back, eyes hazy with lust. She looked like a limp noodle sprawled across the desk in the room, as Hyuuga-sensei loomed above her, pianist fingers around her waist, fangs elongated.

He tilted her head back and found her pulse.

"Are we going to do it yet?" the girl breathed, running her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, one sec."

He leaned forward, opened his mouth, ready to take a bite…

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something here?" I asked sarcastically.

All motion immediately stopped. The girl passed out, a dumb grin on her face, and Hyuuga-sensei looked as if he was going to murder me.

"You couldn't wait?" he hissed, tightening his necktie as he got off the desk. Dark hair pooled around his shoulders, and the glasses askew on the bridge of his nose actually made him look…

…Mildly attractive.

Not that I found him attractive or anything.

"I waited for like, ten minutes. That's a _long_ time to be hearing sex noises come out of a room, right?"

"I just wanted to eat," he grumbled, loosely tying up his hair.

"Yeah, yeah," I scowled. "Let's get this detention over with, 'kay? I want to leave as soon as possible. Your presence is killing me. Literally."

"I see." Then he grinned, a flash of fangs appearing through the corner of his mouth. I knew one of his bad ideas was coming. "Then let's hear you say 'sorry.'"

I nearly choked on the spit I was swallowing. "You want me to _what_?"

"Apologize, Kurenai-san. That would be lovely."

So he sat there, on the desk, watching me smugly, an arrogant smirk on his mildly attractive face.

"Is there any other way?" I pleaded. Sure, it was a conference, but I had my dignity.

"You could give me a taste of your blood. I am a bit hungry, you know, since you interrupted my second square meal of the day."

"You eat three square meals—?"

He was suddenly really up close and really personal. I slowly backed away into a seat, then realized it was a dumb idea as I would have to do some awkward maneuvering to move away.

His tongue flickered out to lick his lips. I found my eyes following the motion, transfixed, as it slowly moved from left to right, swiping across…

"Apologize, or give me a drink," he whispered, getting closer, if even possible. I unconsciously leaned back, putting my hands on his chest as if that would stop him from moving.

"How about neither?" I asked, voice stronger than I felt.

He chuckled, and I felt the reverberations from his chest, sending tingles down my spine. "Not an option, Tenten."

This time, I couldn't get away.

His arms wrapped around my waist, and I felt his hands, surprisingly cool through the thin shirt I was wearing. I shivered.

The contours of his body were simply amazing. Like, if Abercrombie ever needed another shirtless model, they may as well choose Hyuuga-sensei.

Not like I was thinking that or anything.

I felt my face get hotter. "Would you let go?"

"Mmmm…" was the only answer I got. One of his hands stayed at the small of my back as he gently lifted me up, while the other traveled upward, gliding across my back to caress my neck. I felt my body relax.

Then it happened. He brought his face to mine, slowly tilting it in a very, super seductive look. Without saying a word, the hand on my back pulled me in tighter.

I felt his lips on my ear.

An instant beetroot flush found its way to my face. My body stiffened, and my mouth couldn't really make any words to speak.

His lips traced the shell of my ear, and I felt something wet, but not at all unpleasant, retrace the path it had taken.

His tongue. Oh my god.

Lips planted butterfly kisses along my jaw line, teeth gently nipping at flesh. I scrunched my eyes up tightly, breath coming out in short spurts.

"I really…uh…"

He let out a tiny laugh, hot breath puffing out to fan across my bare neck. "Do you want to apologize? Or should I go even further?" With that said, his tongue found an area that it liked, and his lips pressed firmly against the spot.

I felt the place go numb.

He was going to bite me.

"Okay! I got it!" I spluttered in a moment of panic, my face still hot and flustered.

"Oh, do you?" he murmured, not seeming to care anymore. I could smell his hair from my position, and it actually smelled…really nice. Unconsciously, I moved toward his head, allowing a cheek to touch his head.

He froze.

I took that moment to squeeze out a tiny "I'm sorry."

And then in a flash I had tumbled to the ground and he was on top of me, eyes filled with a feeling I really couldn't place. His pianist fingers were lifting up my shirt, and I was too caught up in the moment to do anything about it. Hands were flitting across my body. My back arched, and I was so sure I looked like a freaking hot and bothered mess, but I really just wanted him to touch me—

Lips traced the path his hands had taken, and Hyuuga-sensei was swearing under his breath "Fuck, fuck, fuck…!"

I felt his mouth form a snarl, and then the warm breaths of air interrupted every curse word. He gently nibbled on a spot above my hip, and I barely stifled a sound that my voice box was pleading for me to make.

He French kissed the small beauty mark on the side of my back, tongue tracing patterns on my exposed skin. His hands were roaming everywhere, as if to memorize every nook and cranny of my body.

I saw his smooth skin stretched taught on his arms, as his hair cascaded out of the hair tie he had confined it in, draping across his back and around my hips.

He let out a final curse and slowly got up as if he didn't want to, face a bit flushed, and definitely craving more. "Shit," he growled, punching a wall and running a hand through his hair. "I can't do this. Fuck, fuck, FUCK!"

Then he ran out, slamming the door behind him.

I realized that I had been really turned on. Which I shouldn't have been, because he was a creepy bullying vampire who enjoyed ruining my life. And then I found out that I had almost…it pained me to think of it…wanted him to do more.

And then I swore. "Fuck."

* * *

><p>It was a dark secret I had to keep. No doubt if I told anyone—Ino, Sakura, Hinata, or more—that they would try and set me up with more encounters with my "beloved" teacher: which I was not looking forward to.<p>

I felt my face grow hot just from thinking about what had happened. It was sure going to be awkward when I saw him again.

"What are you thinking about?"

I nearly peed my pants.

"Naruto! Don't do that!" I hissed in a high pitched voice that was so unlike my own. I quickly cleared my throat to make it go away.

"Oi! It's no big deal, you just looked really…what's the word? Like you were in super deep concentration." He quickly pulled his eyebrows together, and frowned, pointing to his face. "You looked like this."

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm 10 times more attractive than you on any given day."

"Haha, so funny. You know I'm the god of beauty." Naruto snorted, sitting down next to me.

"Hm," I said thoughtfully. "Wasn't that Venus? And wasn't she a girl?"

"Aw, Tenten! Must you always be so smart?" he laughed. Then he got serious, and really up close and personal.

"So," he grinned. "What were you thinking about?"

* * *

><p>"Or we could just get her fired," pleaded Hinata. "We don't have to go to such extremes!"<p>

"Oh yes we do," scoffed Ino. "Anyone who messes with my buddies is in for some pain."

Sasuke groaned. "Why am I always being dragged into your ludicrous plans? I want out."

Ino hissed and grabbed his shirt, blue eyes blazing. "If you want out, you'd better enjoy your face while it lasts, or else you'll be sporting a black eye darker than your soul."

Sasuke turned baby-milk white and quickly sat down. "Understood."

Ino was so scary when she had a goal to accomplish.

"Thanks, Sasuke," said Sakura softly, fluttering her eyelashes and trying to look poor and defenseless. "It really means a lot—"

"—Yeah, yeah, whatever. Cut to the chase. The less I have to deal with this Karin girl the better."

Ino grinned. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

We were on our way to S.S. to execute what Ino called "Make the whore look like the complete idiot that she is" plan. I was just tagging along for moral support.

We quickly got a table and sat down, hiding behind the tall menus. I saw Hinata shake her head in disapproval and walk away, ready to take her shift. We forced Sasuke to sit at a different table.

_Now,_ texted Ino to Sasuke, _Turn on the charm. She's headed your way._

Ok, so she wasn't that bad looking. Mostly. She sauntered over, attempting to work the uniform in ways that would burn my eyes to cinders. Sakura was glaring so hard I thought she would laser a hole into Karin's head.

I attempted to eavesdrop. Sasuke was a pretty good actor by the looks of it. He didn't seem disgusted in the least, casually making small talk, accidentally brushing her hand when she gave him his drink.

I saw her face grow bright red.

"Is it over yet?" groaned Sakura who had closed her eyes to avoid seeing her beloved with another woman.

"Not yet," answered Ino. "Damn Sakura, he's going all out! If he had that personality normally, I might have stolen him from you."

Karin was writing something on a napkin. "Thanks," I heard Sasuke say. "I loved chatting with you. I'll be sure to text you sometime so we can hang out. Sound good?"

Her squeal was so high pitched it could've traveled for miles. "Of course Sasuke-kun! I'd love to!"

She waltzed away like she was on cloud nine.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," grumbled Sakura. "Now that the plan is in action, I'm not finding it so awesome anymore. My future hubby was just hit on!"

"Relax," I sighed. "He gets hit on everyday. I mean, just last night he told me about some middle aged lady that almost raped him while he was buying groceries." Sakura's eyes grew wide. "He's fine! He's totally fine," I reassured her. "He ran faster than she could hobble. No worries."

"What can't Ms. Haruno worry about, hm?"

It was him.

I couldn't help but look.

Dressed in dark slacks and a crisp white shirt, holding a steaming cup of coffee, he blended right in. And by that, I mean his looks stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Hi, Hyuuga-sensei!" girls and boys alike called out. He gave a casual wave to them, then turned his attention back on us. This time, I for sure wasn't looking at him.

He took another sip of coffee. "Well, how are my favorite students doing today?"

What? Favorite students? What a _joke_.

"I'm one of your favorite students?" Sakura breathed, eyes glimmering. It seemed that she forgot everything about Karin and Sasuke in one go.

Hyuuga-sensei smiled. "Why, of course. Your work is excellent."

He turned to me. "And how are you, Kurenai-san? Surprised you're one of my favorite students?"

He was acting like nothing had happened. Well, two could play at that game.

"Why yes, Hyuuga-sensei. I am very surprised. I would have thought, through every conversation and meeting I've been with you, that you utterly hated my guts," I said in a sickeningly sweet and sarcastic voice. "But please excuse me. Your favorite student has some matters to attend to, all of which don't include your presence."

I got up and moved to Sasuke's table, letting my back face the vampire that plagued me. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What's gotten into you? You don't like Hyuuga-sensei?"

"Funny you should mention that. I hate his guts."

"He's looking at you, you know. He's talking to Ino and Sakura, but he's watching you."

"I know," I groaned. "So how did it go with Karin?"

His face instantly turned stoic. "I can see why you guys hate her. She's terrible. During the entire time I was talking with her, I wanted to clip her lips shut. And funny thing is, that black thing on her face—"

"Her beauty mark," I interrupted.

Sasuke smirked. "That's what _you_ think. I was watching up close. It's totally drawn on. Magic Marker—can you believe it?" He began to chuckle. "She's really terrible; that mark adds nothing to her overall beauty. Which doesn't amount to much anyways."

"Sakura will be delighted," I said, refusing to glance at their table's direction.

He raised an eyebrow. "You think? Well, I would be too, if I found out some ugly chick tried to make herself look better by drawing on her face with markers."

I smiled. "But you're a really good actor. We couldn't tell you were disgusted at all."

"Thanks," he replied, leaning back on his chair. "But I was. Truly, she's like the most parasitic leech I have ever met." A pause. And then: "He's still watching you, you know."

* * *

><p>I managed to escape out the back door with Hinata's help. She had given me a curious look, but let me out anyways, promising to tell the others where I had gone later. Being in the same room—cross that, breathing the same air as that vampire was sure to make me more insane than I already was.<p>

"Oh, there you are. I'd been wondering where you were trying to escape from. Good idea, by the way."

Another sip.

"So, how are you doing today, Kurenai-san?"

How did he find me?

He seemed to have read my mind and raised a slim eyebrow. "Simple. I saw you heading toward the back, so I came around the shop to meet you."

"Well, I've had enough of your face for a while, so I'll be leaving now. Bye bye." I waved cheerfully, then turned on my heel.

I felt him lash out and grab my wrist. "Listen," he hissed, all playfulness lost. "You've got a ton of detentions piling up. Not to mention, you have seriously never given me blood, no matter _how_ many _freaking times_ I assault you. If you're going to keep this up, I can't even be in the same room with you anymore."

"You drank my blood once," I pointed out. "You were eating right out of my hands. Literally."

He licked his lips. "True…it wasn't fresh, but it was still delicious. Do you know…" he took a step closer, and I instinctively took a step back, "How enticing your blood is to me? I can smell it every time you pass by…the scent is so strong, I could find you anywhere. And if I don't get it in my body soon…"

He took a shallow breath.

"I may cease to exist."

Ok, hold up. What?

Hyuuga-sensei must have seen my puzzled expression, so he sighed and elaborated, which was obviously a bit painful for him. "I can't get replenished by anyone else's blood."

"Oh, really now?" I bit back. "You were about to get that girl a few hours ago, weren't you? Second meal of the day?"

"Nuance: it was a mild snack to keep myself from becoming dehydrated, which, by the way, you interrupted. But see here, Tenten. I need your blood to survive. The other mortals, well, their blood is good too, but it doesn't satisfy my cravings. It can't fill me up—I'm always left wanting more. And if I keep sucking blood out of everyone, well…"

He flashed an eerie grin. "There might be some cases of severe blood loss, if you catch my drift."

I crossed my arms in annoyance. "So you're saying, if I, me, you know, standing right here and all, don't feed you, it'll be over for some kids at this school?"

"Not over per say, but some people _will_ faint if I can't get what I want soon. I'm almost sucking people dry, you understand? And it's not like I'm erasing people's memories or anything. They feel so euphorically good that they pass out the instant I drink from them. The adrenaline makes blood taste so much better."

This guy was sick.

"I keep choosing the same targets too, like that girl from your class. I don't want rumors spreading or _anything_ if people start fainting one by one because I keep taking all their blood. So, what do you say?" He smirked. "Care to give me a taste right now?"

I had always heard stories about sacrifice. Especially in literature. But I'd never thought I would be one, and to a vampire, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I had a good conscious, even for the dimwitted and dull classmates that I didn't particularly care about. Blood loss was a serious thing…and if some of the victims had low blood pressure issues or something, there would be more serious implications. And worst off, if he was hungry and prowling the campus for victims, someone I actually did care about might get hurt.

It's hard being the sacrificial lamb.

Even more so when you know you're the sacrificial lamb.

"…Fine."

I couldn't believe I had just uttered those words. I quickly blinked. "Oh shit. Can I take it back?"

* * *

><p><strong>**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check my profile for a new idea I've been generating?<strong>

**R&R for more Nejiten. Like TONS.  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**This is it. LAST CHANCE. 10th chapter. Make it happen. :D**

**100 reviews! LET'S GOOOOO  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>You know those times when you wonder: "if I was assaulted in some corner behind a coffee shop, what would I do?"<p>

All those plans go flying out the window when it actually happens to you.

"I'm really parched."

That's a common line you would hear at a coffee shop. Except it doesn't really have the same meaning when it's a vampire saying it. Especially when he's the one doing the assaulting.

I eyed him warily. "I get it, you're thirsty. Do you have to do it now?"

He narrowed his eyes and tossed the now empty coffee cup into a trashcan nearby. "Yes."

I felt goosebumps rise on my skin, and I closed my eyes. My hands were getting really clammy. "Fine. One sip, you hear? That's it!"

"Thanks, and bon appetite…" he grinned, and began leaning in. I pushed him back, my face instantly heating up.

"Um, you know what? Maybe later. Gotta go—"

I had only turned on my heel when he caught me. "Oh. Where do you think you're going?"

I stiffened my shoulders to hide my neck from view. "I'm kinda…"

"You know, blood tastes better when the vict—donor, is willing. I had to ask you for your blood. You have to be ready to give it to me. It's one of the laws." He pulled me in, surprisingly gentle. "You don't have to be scared," he whispered. "I'll numb it and everything."

Simply by hearing his voice, I relaxed. I wasn't sure if he was trancing me again or not.

He leaned in again, and I felt his lips against my neck. "Please don't run away," he murmured pleadingly. His warm breath spread across my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

I clenched my eyes shut, muscles quickly tensing up again.

"Relax," he encouraged, in that calm, soothing voice. "It'll only take a moment…"

"Okay," I whispered. He slid his hand into mine, slyly entangling our fingers together in an intimate act.

And finally, after what seemed like eons of waiting, his lips found the pulse on my neck. Heat rushed through my body, flooding me from the tips of my ears to my toes. I felt his tongue gently tracing a pattern on my skin, and the area was slowly numbed.

Another hand found the small of my back, enfolding me further into his body.

He smelled really nice. Like the pear-slash-citrus smell he always had.

Unconsciously, I rested my head on his shoulder as he broke away from my neck to take a breath. Dark hair brushed against my shoulder. His long lashes ticked the base of my neck.

And then he bit me.

Well, I didn't feel pain, that's for sure. But I did feel something.

That something was, embarrassingly, extreme pleasure.

"Ah," I sighed, back arching. My free hand grappled for the fabric of his shirt.

His fangs sunk into me and his hand pulled me in tighter, like he never wanted to let me go.

He only broke apart for some air, and I could hear his haggard breath against my neck, breathing in pants, in need for more—

He went in for a second bite, lapping at the blood that had trickled down my neck. My ears were aflame as I felt him lick along my jawline, almost French kissing the spot he had bitten. He nipped at my collarbone and I whimpered, not knowing what to do with my hands, which were now free from any grasp. He had let go of one of mine to cup the back of my head, and the other was still on my back.

I really wanted to touch him.

Slowly and tentatively, while I thought he was distracted, I moved my hands towards his body. My fingers slipped under the fabric of his shirt. For a brief moment, I felt the softness of skin; smooth and untainted,

He froze the second I touched him.

He pulled back looking me in the eye. There was blood—my blood—stained on his lips. His breath was coming out in spurts, as was mine.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," he whispered.

Then all hell broke loose.

I was roughly pushed against the brick wall—there were sure to be scrapes on my back—and he lunged in for another bite.

"Hyuuga-sensei," I pleaded, "Isn't that enough? Are you done eating now—"

He glared at me from his position, his hot breath fanning across my collarbones. "Neji. Not Hyuuga-sensei. Understand?"

Usually, I would be totally domineering. Who was he, telling me what to do? But this time, I was his puppet, mind hazy and totally unaware. "Okay," I mumbled.

"That's a good girl," he whispered, smirking in the light shadows of the coffee shop. He lifted my legs so I straddled him, me, pressed against the wall, and him as well.

Neji—wait Hyuuga-sensei—then took one of my hands. "You wanted to touch me, hm?" he smirked, half-lidded eyes watching me. Slowly, he let his long fingers caress my wrist, then gently nipped the base of my hand, drawing the slightest bit of blood. His tongue flicked out in a lazy motion, languidly making the red trail disappear. "Then touch me," he hissed.

His face was in the crook of my neck again, tongue lapping at my blood, and my hands were roaming his body, my head pressed over his broad shoulders.

Like I had thought, his skin was soft and his muscles tight and lean, like that of a runner's. I let my thumb touch his cheek slightly, allowed the rest of my fingers to trail across his forearms. Unknowingly, my legs gripped his waist tighter, drawing us closer together. Heat was rushing up my face.

Was this how all his victims felt?

Alarm bells were ringing in my head.

He finally broke away, looking at me with his mysterious moon colored eyes, tongue licking up the final traces of blood.

We both didn't move.

At that moment, I didn't know what drove me to do what I did. It was an act of utter stupidity, really. Worse than the time I mistook baking powder for baking soda, or when I had blatantly cursed Hyuuga-sensei in the middle of class.

In fact, it may have outweighed all the stupid things I have done in my entire life.

To put it in perspective, it was an action Ino would have applauded.

That bad?

Yes.

I bit him back.

* * *

><p>The first thought that flitted into my head was: <em>wow, Tenten, you've really done it this time.<em>

The second thought was: _Stupid._

In a sudden act on pure impulse. I had leaned forward and took a tentative nibble of his collarbone. My teeth grazed his skin slightly, and I allowed myself the pleasure of softly pressing my lips to the spot. I drew back.

His face was in shock.

"Is…uh…was that…okay?" I asked quietly.

Stupid Tenten.

Idiotic Tenten.

Way to make matters worse.

"If I come to school with a hickey on my neck tomorrow, it's your fault," he snarled.

So _not _ the expected response.

I immediately went on the defensive. "Oh really?" I hissed, lowering my legs off his body in a hurry and pushing him back. The rush of affection I had for him was over. "Then what about the damn puncture marks on my neck, huh? Don't think those will be noticed at all?"

Although my head was woozy from lack of blood, it didn't stop me from my retort.

He shoved me back. "You don't get it!" he said angrily.

It was then that I remembered: he was still young. Hyuuga-sensei was a young adult—like me. He was allowed to act childish.

Judging by his actions, I supposed he was pretty young on vampire terms as well.

But that didn't stop me from pushing him again.

I was childish too.

"I don't get what?" I yelled. "What is there to get?"

The pushing match continued. "You're so dull sometimes," he spat. "I wonder why I haven't written F's on all your papers, idiot!"

"Well, maybe because I'm actually a good student!" I answered loudly.

"Your brain mass? Ha! Don't make me laugh," he hissed. "You don't understand anything!"

"And how does that make you any better, huh?" I yelled. This was getting out of control. I was so angry for reasons I didn't know, and it was all his fault.

I ran at him, shoving my shoulder into his. The resulting pain was worth it—thrown off balance, he toppled to the ground.

He swore. "My shirt! You'd better be paying for dry cleaning! Man, I don't even know why I bother with you at all! You are the most underhanded, irresponsible, defiant victim I have ever had…pair your blood and their brains, and I would have the perfect food item, but no, I have to get the stupid disobedient one!"

"You calling me stupid?" I hissed, sitting on his stomach and grabbing a fist full of his shirt. "How 'bout I mess up that face of yours, huh?"

"You don't understand," he yelled, eyebrows scrunched and face flushed. "I've never had a victim have the energy to touch me back. If you do that again, there's no telling _what_ I may end up doing to you. And judging by the way you're sitting, you're not making it any easier."

Oh.

So that's what he meant.

"You know what they say," he said, smirk returning to his arrogant face. "A virgin's blood tastes the best."

I leaned so close our noses were almost touching. My breath mingled with his, and despite the hatred I felt towards him, I really wanted to kiss him. "Don't ever," I snarled, "Mention the 'V' word to me again."

"If it makes you feel better," he murmured, all anger forgotten, voice in a low, husky tone, "Your blood was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. And your body…"

On this note, he pushed himself off the ground so I was literally straddling his hips. His hand massaged the back of my nape, while his mouth crept a distance dangerously close to my ear. "…Though innocent, your body is reactive in ways that make me want to taint you even _further._"

I now knew how Hinata felt every time she saw Naruto. My face was flaming red, and my body was heating up again. "Erm…I…um…"

The blood loss was too much.

The scenery started spinning, and my head hurt.

I swayed on the spot, still on his lap.

That day was full of firsts. First time on a revenge plan. First time I was cornered at the back of a coffee shop. First time I had gotten bit by a vampire.

And not to mention, the first time I passed out.

* * *

><p>It was dark when I woke up. The sheets were warm, and I snuggled in further, not wanting to get up and physically move anywhere.<p>

Then I realized with a shock, that no, this was not my dorm room.

I sat up so quickly, blood rushed to my head and I swore I was going to pass out again. Black spots danced before my eyes, and I quickly held my head as if that would stop it from throbbing.

I slowly crawled out of the infirmary bed (it was the only logical location: even in the dark, I could make out the shape of other beds and cabinets of medicine). I was utterly alone.

I touched the place where I had been bitten, almost predicting the two puncture wounds, which were…

…Totally not there.

He had healed my cut before too. And when I thought about it, I realized all the other people he had snacked a meal off of never had any evidence that he had been there.

Wow, that was new. Healing saliva.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled, hoping to dispel the nervousness and thoughts of the more-than-awkward situation that had occurred. No one would know. So, I was his…personal meal for a while. That was ok. As long as no one got hurt.

I walked towards the exit, ready to head back to my real room. The lighting was dark, and it seemed like the nurse in charge had gone off somewhere. Probably to run an errand or something.

The door opened with a slight push, and—

"What the HELL are you doing there?" I yelled, totally caught off guard. My heart was jumping, as I was completely surprised to see Neji sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall for support. "Holy mother of—never mind, okay, you nearly scared me to death, just…get up, will you?"

He didn't hear me.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that he was sleeping.

And his ugly mug did not look so ugly anymore.

I crouched down to his level, hardly believing my eyes. Was he waiting for me to get up?

I frowned. "Never do that again, you hear me? It always gives people a scare when something is waiting for them behind a door."

His head lolled to the side, and his lips parted slightly. His breathing was slow and even.

He was actually…not so bad when he was unconscious.

I sighed. "You know, if you were quieter and wasn't about to suck my blood at every opportunity, I really wouldn't have minded you as much." I sat down in front of him. "Were you worried about me?" I whispered. "Is that why you're sitting out here? I'm fine. Go back and grade papers or something."

He still didn't hear me.

I sighed again. It really wasn't my nature to leave some person stranded in a dark hallway, even if that person was a vampire.

"Hyuuga-sensei?" I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, and shook him softly. His head leaned forward, dark brown hair draping across his neck. His lips mumbled something incoherent.

I put my ear near his mouth, hoping to catch some sense in his words.

"…Smell…nice…"

And then he was nuzzling the crook of my neck, burying his face in my shoulder. My face flamed up instantly.

"Sexual harassment," I whispered loudly, trying to push him off without hurting him. "Must you come after me even when you're asleep?"

He mumbled something again, lips brushing my skin into what was now a familiar sensation.

"You already drained me once," I groaned. "Seriously, hold back why don't you!"

With some effort, I finally managed to get away, leaving him against the wall again. "A load of trouble you've brought me," I grumbled, getting up and dusting off myself.

I looked at him again, sleeping—dare I say—peacefully in the hallway. I really couldn't leave him alone, lest someone molested _him_ for a change.

"Ok, here we go," I said to no one in particular, heaving his body up so he leaned against my shoulders. It took a while, but I eventually hauled him into the bed I was in before. He seemed to like it, since he burrowed into the pillow. I couldn't help but feel motherly, and draped the blankets over him.

"It smells nice," he mumbled again.

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, a smile flitting to my face. "You've mentioned. I've gotta go now, and I know you're going to be a total asshole when we meet again, but at least I know you're not a terrible person now. Thanks for caring. Your personality has gone up a notch. But you're still _way_ at the bottom of my list."

I turned my head, ready to leave, when something caught my eye. It was a note on the bed stand nearby.

_I didn't mean to go overboard and make you faint from blood loss. Sorry about that; it won't happen next time._

_Hyuuga Neji  
><em>

On top of the note was a bottle of vitamin-enhanced water.

I picked it up, turning the plastic bottle in my fingers.

Okay.

Two notches.

* * *

><p><strong>Awesome chapter, right?<strong>

**I worked hard :D**

**If any of you are interested, I have a new Nejiten fic up! Check it out :)**

**R&R! Let's try for 100!**


	11. Chapter 11

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! **

**We made it!**

**I didn't expect such a warm response! I sincerely thank all of you who reviewed up to this point. This is a little gift...longest chapter yet. :)**

**A new arc is beginning...  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>I realized something extremely important the next day.<p>

Vi was a bitch.

Oh, trust me: I'm really not exaggerating. After finding out Hyuuga-sensei had taken my blood (_"I can smell her disgusting human scent all over you!"_) she had taken extreme pleasure in humiliating me.

How? Simple, really. She gave Hyuuga-sensei a day off after discovering him in the infirmary, and took over his class.

Tyrannical rule? You could say that.

Oh sure, the guys had no problem with it. They were googly-eyed the entire lesson. I could sense them undressing her with their minds, which Vi totally had nothing against. She would purposely drop things on the floor, just so she could pick them up in seductive ways.

Sakura and I both gagged.

"She's really creepy," she whispered to me in the middle of the lesson. Vi was bending down so her cleavage was in full view. If possible, most of the guys leaned in even further than before.

"I know," I muttered back, keeping my eyes on my laptop the entire time. I knew that if I stared into her eyes, she would have me doing something to either humiliate me or endanger my life. The green apple seemed to smile at me from the table.

Great. Even technology was mocking me.

"I can _hear_ you, you know," Vi said in a sweet tone, purposely looking in our direction. All her minions looked at us too, wondering who in the world could've deserved her attention.

"Sorry," we mumbled.

Needless to say, it was the worst class ever.

I was packing up my things, getting ready to leave the prison, when Vi called out: "Ms. Kurenai? Could you stay back for a bit, sweetheart? There's something I'd love for us to discuss together."

I had realized a while ago that when teachers called me back for something, it usually meant trouble.

"Go on without me," I said to Sakura, who was waiting for me by the doorway.

She looked worried. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay? It'll only take a minute, right?"

This time, Vi turned to her. "Oh, don't worry honey bun," she smiled, beginning to fix the strands of hair on her face. Her nails glinted red in the light of the classroom. "This is a bit of a…private conversation."

"Sakura, I'll be fine. Just…wait for me by the usual place."

"Alright, if you say so…" Still, she cast a suspicious look at us.

Sakura was smart. But this was one secret I meant to keep away from her.

The second she left, Vi closed the door in an eerily calm matter, then faced me with a scowl on her face. "I'm not _fond_ of your relationship with Neji," she hissed.

I shrugged. "In case you haven't noticed, neither am I."

"That's the thing, you see. You are utterly useless in every which way. He doesn't _need_ you, you know…someone that doesn't appreciate his existence like I do."

She trailed her fingers across his desk, and sat in his chair. For some reason, I really didn't like it.

"This is what I'm here to talk to you about, dearest."

Dearest? That was some serious sarcasm.

"Neji…well, he's on a bit of a _vacation_ right now. He's got a while left, about a mortal year or so. Then he's got to go back to his family…back in his own world. But you see, we need him to go back immediately, for more…pressing matters."

And she was telling me this, why?

"The reason," she hissed, as if she read my mind, "Is that your measly existence is the only thing keeping him tethered to this world."

"So what do you want to do?" I bit back. "Kill me or something?"

She sighed longingly. "If only. If I kill you, I'll be in his bad books, which is not good for me."

"So then what do you want?" I asked, growing impatient.

Vi scowled. "I really want to make you walk repeatedly into that wall right now. But I won't, simply because Neji likes you."

"Great," I said sarcastically. "He's finally done me a favor, even though he's not aware of it."

"You are really an ungrateful wretch. I don't know what he sees in you. Hm, sure, you probably won't last long. But oh well, what's done must be done. The worst that could happen is that you'll die…splendid. I'll drag you along."

I immediately began backing away from instinct. "Hold on here. I didn't agree to anything."

"Oh dearie, you don't _need _ to agree to anything. I'm forcing you, in case you haven't noticed. In fact, I only told you what I did so you would die of shock when we got there."

I had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

Vi grabbed my shoulder and snapped her fingers. "Time to take a trip, sweetie pie."

* * *

><p>Ever been squished into a tunnel of never-ending darkness that smelled like dirt and rain? Ever have your molecules scrambled up and put back together again? Well, if you answered "yes" to both these questions, you'll understand what I went through.<p>

Long story short: it was terrible.

And Vi's grip wasn't making it any better.

When the spinning and lurching and twisting and turning finally stopped, I collapsed on the ground, nearly passing out again. My head hurt like anvils were repeatedly beating into it.

The ground never felt so wonderful.

"You done kissing the ground beneath my feet, doll? You are _so_ weak. Can't handle a bit of dimension travel, can you?" Vi sighed, and tossed her silver tresses over her shoulder. "Such a complete _wimp_."

"I get it, you hate me. Gonna kill me here so it won't weigh on your conscious?" I spat, noticing the bleak surroundings. It was like a dry savannah, with no life to be seen save for a charred, leafless tree.

The witch rolled her eyes. "It's against our law to kill mortals on purpose. The police would have my hide if I did that. No, I'm not going to kill you, though the idea is very appealing. I'm using you as…what's the human way to say it? Ah, yes. Bait."

"Bait for what?" I asked, crossing my arms and getting ready to run. Just in case she summoned a monster or something to devour my guts.

She chose to ignore me, and instead, stuck her arm through the space in front of her. She pulled apart the space, revealing a completely different world.

It was like she had ripped the air apart.

"Go on. Shoo."

I eyed the new world apprehensively. "You want me to step into that creepy looking place?"

From what I could see, it was just like a normal city. Kind-of-ish. A normal city, with the creep-factor multiplied by three.

It was relatively shady, but nothing too menacing. Knowing Vi though, it would be the perfect place to torture me.

"Just get in there, cherry sundae." With that, she pushed me through the space, and I landed on the cement with a painful THUD.

She stepped through elegantly, "accidentally" stepping on my calves.

I really wanted to punch her.

"Ok, you got me. Now what? Should I just wait to be eaten?" I yelled, picking myself off the ground. My knees were scraped, and they stung in the cool air.

"Oh please. You are so dense. Haven't you caught on by now? We're luring _Neji_ here. This is our world."

She smiled eerily.

"Welcome to Dearth, Miss Kurenai."

* * *

><p>The creatures <em>looked<em> human enough. But judging by the things they were selling by the street side, they were far from it.

One guy bought a raw chicken, and just ate it like that, gnawing at the bones and then carelessly spitting them on the streets.

His companion bought a live chicken and ate it like that.

I was so disgusted I couldn't tear my eyes away.

"Barbarians, those half-animal fiends," said Vi, examining her fingernails as we walked. "No etiquette. Like beasts."

"You don't say," I murmured in response.

The red spots on the ground looked suspiciously like blood.

The fashion was not too far off from normal. Albeit a bit darker, but nothing too drastic. I even eyed a few pieces that I liked.

Vi scowled. "Hey, I'm not your attendant. Get a move on, we've got places to go."

"And would you mind telling me where that is?" I answered, purposely disobeying her and lingering at the store window.

"_Get moving,_" she hissed, and my feet started walking against my will. I tried to drag them, but to no avail. She kept me at a brisk pace, stopping at a flashy building with white lights and pristine glass doors. She pushed them open with a huff, not bothering to hold them open for me to get through. I was mercilessly whapped in the face.

With a snap of her red fingernails, my feet stopped. She eyed the man at the front desk with harsh apprehension. From the looks of it, the building was a hotel.

A sparkly, white, extremely shiny and well-kept hotel.

"I'm Vi, head of the Witches Association. Let me talk to Jargus."

"So babe," drawled the relatively nice looking man, "You wanna talk to the boss? How about you and I spend a little alone time together?"

"An Incubus like you?" she snarled. "You've got no chance. Bring Jargus right away, or I'll burn a hole through your perverted face."

"Playing hard-to-get I see," he continued, not looking a bit fazed.

Then his eyes fell on me, and he leaned forward, eyes wide. He let out a wolf whistle, and I rolled my eyes.

Even in this weird world, the male species didn't change.

"A mortal? Seriously, she's going to whither soon if she doesn't get back to Earth." He winked. "I'd be happy to share some of my energy with you to sustain your stay…in payment for your body—"

He was cut off by an unfortunate hit to the head.

"Ah, there you are Jargus," said Vi, waving her fingers seductively.

Jargus was the prime example of what a good looking, middle-aged man should be. His hair was cut short, and he was dressed in a casual dress shirt and slacks. There were slight wrinkles under his eyes, but they were filled with warmth. Kind-of-ish. "Hello, Vi," he said, voice rumbling deep in his chest. "What brings you here? On business?"

"One of your best rooms, please. For…_her_." She eyed me with obvious distaste before continuing. "She has special needs, if you catch my drift."

Jargus's eyebrows went up. "I see…never thought you were the type."

She scowled, and I heard her mutter under her breath: "This is all for Neji. All for him."

I was forced to follow them up the staircases and into a room. It was white and spacious, and had a decent bed.

I turned around to face them. "Hey, this is nice and all, but mind telling me—"

They weren't there. I quickly ran to the entrance and tried the door, which refused to open.

I was locked inside.

"My apologies," said Jargus from behind the door. "But you must stay here a while."

I was in a jail.

I pounded on the door with my fist until it hurt too much to continue. "No way in _hell_ am I staying here! Let me out!" I screamed till my voice was hoarse, but they paid me no attention.

I slumped to the ground, energy drained, and frustrated.

"Toodles, pumpkin," said Vi's voice in a much too cheery tone. "It's a preservative room so you'll last a _wee_ bit longer."

Her cackles died away as I was left alone.

…I was…_alone_.

The impact of that statement hit me.

I might never see my parents again. Or my friends. There would be no laughing times at S.S. trying to humiliate Karin, no studying in the library for some monstrosity of a test…

I couldn't even tell them where I was.

I would trade anything in that room—the bed, the lamp, the quarters—heck, I would live off the streets—in return for some company.

The space next to me had never felt more empty.

Sitting there, on the floor, for the first time in several years, I began to cry.

* * *

><p>Time in Dearth seemed to pass differently. I found myself on the floor the next morning, having cried myself to sleep. My eyes were puffy, and my cheeks were sticky from the sweat and tears.<p>

For the next few hours, I sat on the bed like a zombie. I didn't do anything.

Just, you know…sat there.

There were modes of entertainment available, I just didn't want to touch them. I tried to tell myself it would be okay, but chances were, Neji would come to Dearth to have a snack, and then get abducted by Vi for "special purposes." Most likely…I would be here for a while.

As for how long…it was still a mystery.

My eyes started welling up again, so I tilted my head up so they would go back in. I was a strong girl. It was going to be okay.

I took a deep, shaky breath.

I was going to be fine.

I didn't have my phone with me, and I wasn't smart enough to wear a watch. I didn't know how much time had elapsed, but I wasn't hungry for anything other than some company.

I _was_ going to be fine…right?

My nose began running again, a sure sign I was about to have another breakdown. I bet Vi and Jargus were laughing at that moment—mocking me with their little hyena pitched giggles.

I didn't know how Jargus laughed, but I really hoped he sounded like a woman.

I pounded on the door some more for extra emphasis, hoping to catch the attention of someone—anyone, outside, but I knew it was useless. No one would be wiling to help a mortal girl like me in a high security prison.

Life really sucked.

A little click of heels echoed across the hallways, bringing welcome noise to the quiet room I was in. My hopes began rising, and then were promply dashed as I realized the source of the noise.

"Meal time," said Vi in a sing-song voice, unlocking the door. I glared the harshest glare I could muster.

"I hate you," I hissed.

"Oh I know," she said happily, red nails flashing under the fluorescent light. She pushed something in a bowl towards me. It looked like green octopus legs in brown porridge. "It has good nutrients," Vi smiled evilly.

"Thanks. I'll eat to my heart's content, I promise," I replied. At least I was still able to keep my sarcasm.

"Keep it up, Tenten," Vi said, voice turning harsh. "Worst comes to worst, he won't show up, and you'll be locked in here forever. Then I'll just go fetch him myself. It's a win-win for me either way—and I'm secretly hoping he won't come over here. I'd rather have you gone."

With that happy note, she slammed the door and left me by myself again.

The food looked and smelled revolting. Although my stomach was growling, I pushed the bowl of goop away. It would probably poison me anyways.

I lay on the bed, staring up at the blank white ceiling. It was like a weight had been placed on my shoulders: heavy and totally uncomfortable.

No one was going to come. Just like Vi said.

I curled up into a ball, as if it would make me feel better. I only had myself out here. I could only rely on myself, I could only escape by myself…

The irony of it was that the prison was keeping me alive in Dearth. But I would've liked nothing better than to escape from it.

I didn't stand a chance against Vi or Jargus. I wasn't a weakling by any means, but their powers had a high advantage over me. There were no windows, only hard walls and a single door, lamp, and side table.

I yelled in frustration until my throat burned.

The next day was just as bad, if not even worse, than the first. Vi didn't show up, but Jargus did. He gave me another bowl of the octopus goop, giving me a creepy smile. "Enjoy your meal."

Once again, I pushed it away.

By now I was starving, but I refused to eat what they gave me. My throat was parched too. I would only last four days without water. I would resist till the end—only on the fourth day captive would I lower myself so much as to take a slurp of that disgusting crap.

I poked the ground, at loss for what I was supposed to do next. There was no plan to run away.

I went to check my phone again out of habit, then realized I forgot to bring it. I had to start ignoring the pain in my stomach, which was pleading for something to eat. I had to use the bathroom too. Tentatively, I knocked on the door.

"If anyone's out there," I said in a strong, hopefully authoritarian voice, "you'd better let me out so I can use the restroom."

Someone grumbled behind the doorway, and I heard a click.

That was the lock.

I braced myself. The door creaked open, and some wolfish guy had a rapier out in front of my face. The point looked deadly sharp. He grinned, revealing fangs.

"Make one false move girly, and I'll skewer your arm."

I nodded and followed him to the restroom, where he complained the entire time.

When we got back, I was locked up again amid his high screeches of laughter. "You know," he said mockingly. "Hyuuga may be all high and mighty, but I bet he's starving without you. We really built this place to lure him over here. Basically," he snarled, "You ain't _never _gettin' out of here. And once we're tired of keeping you, we'll let you shrivel up and die. Sounds good, don't it?"

"Peachy," I answered. "Hope that's what'll happen to your mom too."

He bared his fangs. "Watch it little miss, I wouldn't want my hand to accidentally slip and cut your throat with this-here sword." He roughly shoved me back into my cell. "Sweet dreams, prisoner. No one gonna come for you. And if they do…" at this, he licked the sword's blade, "I'm gonna make 'em into a pincushion."

Time passed again. The goop was stinking up the room, and I almost threw up several times. The hallway lights had been turned on. I was too lazy to turn on my own lamp, and much preferred to mope in the darkness. I could hear Vi flirting with Jargus, and the guard outside making small talk with some other people.

That didn't stop me from feeling sorry for myself.

In fact, if possible, I felt even more alone.

But what irked me the most was that I was actually…hoping for someone to rescue me. I drew my knees close to my chest. And that someone was not Naruto. Or Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino…none of my friends at school. That someone was a bothersome vampire who lived off my blood, whose name was unfortunately—

Suddenly, something caught my eye. There was a shadow outside my door—blocking the light of the hallway underneath the door crack. I half feared the guard had thought about it and decided my comment about his mother wasn't acceptable, and he was going to teach me a lesson. Either that, or Vi had decided to show up and taunt me some more like she always did.

There was a little shuffle of clothing outside, and I heard a loud thump. I could hear my breath: it was abnormally loud. I held it in, heart pounding furiously in my ribcage.

The door clicked open, letting light flood into my dark room.

"So you _are _here."

That voice. So familiar in my mind, but still unwilling to believe it. I thought I was hallucinating. There was no way, the security was tight, Vi had said. They would catch him if he ever set foot inside the building, so it was all a figment of my delusional mind.

I was clearly going crazy being locked up.

The drift of a warm breath of citrus air reached me. I took a hesitant breath. This was his scent, the one I had noticed from the first day we had met. It was constantly engrained in my mind. The shadow on the floor resembled him too, tall and lean. The hope that Vi had crushed a day prior revived again, surging over me and crashing around my shoulders. I scrunched up my face, trying not to cry again. I couldn't cry in front of him, anyways...it would ruin my image, and he would use it as blackmail or something later. The intruder...there was no doubt in my mind, that it really, truly was—

"Hyuuga Neji," I breathed, looking up. Never had I been so glad to see him. He looked spectacular: bathed in the warm glow of the lamplight, dressed not in his usual crisp shirt and slacks, but in casual clothing. A fitted black v-neck and dark washed jeans contrasted sharply against his pale skin.

"I was looking for you," he panted, looking pissed beyond belief. Only then did I realize he also appeared completely exhausted.

But I was too happy (for unknown reasons) to care. Without a moment of hesitation, and stupid tears brimming in my eyes, I got off the floor and tackled him to the ground. My arms immediately wrapped around him, and I buried my face in his shoulder. Everything I had suffered I left behind. Even the pain in my stomach was gone, the thirst gone from my throat.

Weird. Did he always have this effect on me?

"I thought you wouldn't come," I murmured through the fabric, trying to hide my tears. Surely he would feel the dampness of his shirt and make fun of me for being so weak.

But instead, to my surprise, he returned the hug in a warm embrace. "Of course," he said quietly. "Do you think I would just let my food source wither in Dearth?"

Somehow, by the way he said it, I could tell it wasn't only the fact I was a food source. He was hiding something by the way he said the phrase thoughtfully, as if he was trying to convince himself of it as well.

"No," I mumbled back, still hardly believing that he _was_ here. From my position, I could see the guard completely knocked out and slumped against the wall. From the looks of it, Neji had punched him once and he was down.

If I could whistle, I would have. That was impressive.

"We have to get going," Neji said, looking around. "The enchantment on your door was terrible to break—it's drained most of my energy. I only have enough to get back. If we bump into Vi or anyone else, we'll probably be detained for quite a bit."

"How did you find me?" I asked, finally (reluctantly) pulling away.

That queer smile of his was on his face again. "I could follow the scent of your blood anywhere."

That was…slightly romantic.

"But less chit chat," he said urgently, eyebrows furrowing. "Since I've broken the enchantment, they know I'm here. Let's move."

With that, he took my hand and sprinted down the hallway.

There was never a break when he was around, a sensation I was slowly growing accustomed to.

We made it to a corner and took a left.

Unfortunately, Vi was there to meet us.

* * *

><p>"Oh goodie," she said brightly. "I just knew you would show up to get her, Neji-kun. Well, now that you're here in Dearth, you should just stay here. Your family needs you."<p>

"I gave up on that clan a long time ago. You know that," Neji said harshly. "I am no longer affiliated with them. Go back to your Witches Association, Vi. My clan should have never hired you to take me back."

"Unfortunately, it can't be done so easily," she purred. "I really do like you, you know. But I can't just let you go, and with that weak mortal girl either."

She glanced at me once, and thrust her hand at me. Even though she was from the other end of the hallway, I felt a punch so hard it crushed all the air out of my lungs. I was sent flying into a decorative vase. The porcelain shattered and littered the floor with shards.

My head hurt terribly, and I was for sure going to have bruises on my arms. I decided the best plan at the moment would be to lie on the floor. Moving took a little too much effort with my exhausted and malnourished body.

"You couldn't even hold back?" Neji asked.

"Controlling one's strength is so hard," trilled Vi. "Especially when you're in Dearth."

"I see."

From my position, I could only see the back of his figure. He raised a hand, and I instantly felt a rush of something powerful ripple the air. If I had been near Vi, I would've seen his pale eyes narrow and flicker into a web of stained glass shapes. "Then," he announced. "I won't hold back either."

Vi took a step back out of fear. Neji took advantage of her slight hesitation. In a flash, he turned around and sprinted towards me, lifting me up in one arm as if I was just a sack, leaving her alone in the dust. "Get ready," he said with a smirk. "We're going for a fly."

The wall at the end of the hallway crumbled with the impact of his free fist. Chunks of rock burst from the opening he made, seeming to hang suspended in the air for a few seconds. My eyes widened as I saw a nice picture of Dearth from a bird's eye view. And then I remembered I was afraid of heights. I quickly clung onto his shirt, unable to tear my eyes away.

"Relax," he assured me.

Something black and tattered emerged from his shoulder blades, like fabric angel wings. They fluttered in the air, rippling in the breeze. We were sent plummeting down the prison walls—images of windows, brick, and the ever-nearing ground flashed before my eyes. From above, Vi's scream of fury echoed around us.

Wind whipped through my hair, and my eyes were watering from the speed we were traveling. The ground was getting closer. It didn't take a genius to figure out that if we hit the asphalt, it would be all over. "Pull up, pull up!" I screeched, clinging even tighter.

"As you wish," Neji laughed. Really. Even in these situations, he found time to torment me.

A moment later, he had swerved up, in a corkscrew fashion, leading us farther and farther away from the enemy and the ground. His black wings pushed us through the gales of wind, allowing us to drift through the sky effortlessly. Luckily, Vi must have been unable to find her broom or something, because she wasn't on our tail.

The breeze was calmer now, gently pushing us along and seeping through our clothes. His body was warm, and actually slightly comforting. I absentmindedly hoped I wasn't too heavy for his arms to hold up. After a few minutes, I decided to break the silence. "I'm not going to thank you, you know."

"Why not, Kurenai-san? I just saved your life. Twice. Once from the prison, and the other from hitting the pavement. You should be quite grateful."

I _was_ grateful. But letting him know...that was another story.

"It's your fault for getting me in this mess in the first place," I replied. "So I owe you nothing. Now if you please, take me home."

"Oh, about that…"

That tone of voice was not encouraging.

"We can't go back for a few days."

I almost kicked him right then and there. "And why not? I thought you said you had enough energy to get back!" I yelled, hoping to shatter his eardrums.

"I said if Vi met us, we would probably be slowed down for a while. It was all nice and calculated, I wasn't supposed to 'bust out my wings and fly,'" he said dryly. "Now I've spent the energy we needed to get back. And I need the _exact_ amount—if I tried dimension ripping now, I'd probably lands us on Mars. So now that we can't go back, I may as well stay here for a bit. I've got some business to take care of."

"Oh, I see. More important than me, huh? Stuff to do with your clan, maybe?"

The arm around me stiffened. "No. Nothing about my clan. They aren't going to take me back."

"Rebellious son, aren't we?" I answered. "Don't get your long johns up in a twist."

"Long johns? Why are you mentioning—"

We suddenly took a deep drop. I felt like my stomach was about to fall out. "What are you doing?" I said, punching him in the shoulder. "Don't do that!"

"Not my intentions," he panted. "But really. I'm almost out of fuel. We need a place to rest for the time being."

"Fine, just find a forest or something, and we'll play Survivor."

He raised an eyebrow as we slowly drifted towards the ground. "Do you really think that's wise? No, for your information. This is my domain; I know it quite better than you do. We'll simply rent a house for a while."

It was my turn to laugh. "Hyuuga-sensei! They're after your _neck_ out here. People aren't just going to lend you a house! The moment they see you, they'll take you to your clan."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," he said, a creepy smile lighting up his face.

I had a bad feeling about that smile. And seeing how it was Hyuuga-sensei…well, things could get a lot worse. We descended some more, and finally stopped in the middle of a small village. The street lamps were on now, lighting the night with a dull orange glow.

We touched ground (which by the way, is like the best feeling ever) and Hyuuga-sensei walked towards a modest looking cottage and rapped the door three times. "I know you're in there," he called. "You're going on vacation now, right? I'll be taking this house for a while. You promised to pay me back."

There was no answer.

"Fine," he sighed. "I guess I'll just have to tell the Witches who's been peeking at them during their bathing sessions…"

With sudden quickness, the door opened, and a man with spiky white hair and some odd armor on was standing in the entryway. "Don't you dare do that," he said with a warning voice. "That peephole is my life! I get it, you can stay. Yeah, I was just about to leave."

Then, he saw me. He grinned perversely and sidled up to me. "Hey there, pretty lady. Mind telling me your three sizes?"

I was debating whether to punch him in the nose or kick him in his family jewels when Hyuuga-sensei stopped me. "Jiraiya, you can't touch her. She's a mortal."

"Oho! Is she now? Well, she'll need to use this house, won't she? The radius barrier will hide her presence," he said, still glancing at me with shady eyes.

Neji sighed. "I know, that's why I chose this place. Now get going now, pervert. We promise not to mess up anything in your house."

"Fine, fine," Jiraiya grumbled. "You'd better watch out—having Jargus and Vi after you could mean trouble. Best get back to that girl's world before her energy runs out."

"You hear that?" I said. "_We best get back to my world before my energy runs out._ I don't want to die!"

"Don't worry," Hyuuga-sensei replied nonchalantly. "I can keep you alive with no problem."

"I'm not a pet fish or anything," I muttered. "I have standards, you know."

"Well then, goodbye!" yelled Jiraiya, lugging his suitcases out the door, shooting me a wink. "No sex on the bed, you hear?"

I flushed a bright pink. "There will be none of that stuff going on!"

"Or so you think," he answered with another wink, laughing loudly. Then, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The smoke cleared away in a matter of seconds.

"Finally," Hyuuga-sensei said with relief. "He's gone. Hurry, get in the house."

It was a well furnished building: average and homely. There were two bathrooms and a decent kitchen. After inspecting the upstairs, I came to the conclusion that it was true: there was only one bed.

And I was _not_ going to sleep with him in it.

"You take the armchair," I ordered.

"Or, I could take the bed. Since I saved your life and all."

"Then I'll take the armchair."

"I wouldn't want you to have a sore neck when you woke up."

"I'll sleep on the floor then."

"I couldn't possibly let a guest sleep on the floor."

"I'll put a few blankets there. It'll be fine."

"I won't allow it."

"Well then," I said exasperated, "What exactly do you want me to do? Share the bed with you?" Oh, what a _joke_.

The creepy grin was on his face again. "Precisely. You do catch on quick, Kurenai-san."

* * *

><p><strong>THANKS AGAIN! WOWWWW! Haha. Next mission for these two? You'll see :)<strong>

**Got free time? Check out Managers and Other Side Jobs. You'll like it, promise :D**

**R&R! Thanks once more~  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**So...apology on the late update.**

**But it's a nice chapter! Promise!  
><strong>

**HA.**

**Awkward moments galore. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>So, turns out the whole bed sharing things was the least of my worries. After surprising me with the fact he wanted us to share the bed, he added the "oh, p.s., I also have to share my life force with you so you stay alive."<p>

Like the innocent young lamb I was, I naively said, "How do we do that?"

And like the pervert he was, he said nonchalantly "Nothing big. Just kissing."

Just kissing? JUST KISSING?

I had never been kissed in my entire life. I was a total lip virgin—wait, no mentioning of the V-word. Sadly, the most experience I've ever had (it doesn't amount to much, trust me) was through reading romance novels. Don't tell Ino.

And maybe a bit of skinship with Neji.

Don't tell her that either.

"It's just kissing," he grumbled from the arm chair, a set of reading glasses on his nose. Where he got those from remains a mystery.

I scowled from my place on the bed, hair sopping wet after my shower. "It's not 'just kissing.' I refuse to do such an intimate and personal act with you."

The bed creaked as I shifted my weight, determined not to look him in the eye. Sure, in some weird, stupid, messed up part of my mind—let me tell you, this place is _tiny_—wanted to, you know…maybe kiss him a little.

I take it back, I take it back. This information is too delicate. We're done here.

"If I don't feed you, you'll starve here."

"Or you could just feed me a raw chicken. I can cook those you know…with things we mortals like to call 'ingredients.'"

He sighed again, sitting up. "It's not physical hunger, Tenten. I'm talking about your life force dwindling as we speak…when it runs out, you'll decay into a little empty shell without a soul. Get the picture?"

"But does it have to be through kissing?" I whined.

"Oh, we can do it other ways," he said mischievously, "Like through some close intercourse or something—"

I immediately hit him with my shoe. "Fuck you."

"Just tell me when and where."

I hit him with my other shoe.

"Get serious here! I'm stuck in the middle of Dearth, some creepy place off the weirdo road in no-where, in some hermit's house…the last thing I want to do here is kiss you."

"It'll be just a peck."

"I don't want a peck."

"A French kiss, then. Would you like that?"

Yes.

"No."

"Don't be so stubborn. I'm just trying to help you until we get back to the mortal world. If you want, I'll do it when you're unconscious," he offered.

I contemplated it. "Fine. But if I wake up, there will be hell to pay, understand?"

"Crystal clear. I'll be taking the bathroom now, so don't peek."

"Never in a million years."

He got off the couch and strolled to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. I let out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding. Seriously…this guy knew how to push all of my buttons.

I went to the drawers and pulled out some spare clothing, tentatively sniffing it. It smelled clean. I wasn't about to wait about in my prison clothing that was sweaty and gross and dusty. I could wash that by hand later, but for now, a change of clothes was necessary.

I made sure Neji was safely locked in the bathroom, and quickly changed. The pants were way too long, so I did my best to hitch them up. The shirt was baggy and reached mid thigh, and I was drowning in the clothes, but had never felt more comfortable. I drew up the covers up to my chin and lay on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

I was still hungry.

I was growing tired of waiting for the vampire to come out of the shower (really, it was 15 minutes already), and was just about to doze off to sleep when the bathroom door opened. "Took you long enough," I muttered. "Now get to sleep."

"You took the words right out of my mouth. Good night," he answered, climbing into bed.

Instant warmth spread through the covers, warming up my stone cold feet. The same warmth rushed up my cheeks. I quickly turned away so he wouldn't see. What would my mother say?

_Tenten! Such indecent behavior…oh, but such a handsome young man…_

Indecent. Right. First time sharing a bed with the member of the opposite sex.

Keep your mind off it, Tenten. Don't look at him.

…He was sure to look really hot after taking a shower.

Oh, how I hated that tiny part of my brain that may have been a little infatu—right. Stop there. Confidential information.

Finally, my stupid head decided to turn in his direction.

He looked better than I imagined. Wide awake and staring right back at me, his lips were slightly parted. Hair, also wet from the shower, fell across his face, sending tiny dewdrops of water down his cheeks. His skin was tinged pink from the wash, and he smelled lovely. I could see collarbones peeking out from above the loose gray shirt he wore. And his eyes were still that shade of grey, like the moon being graced with lavender.

He watched me, and I watched him, both unable to tear our eyes away.

"I…think I'm going to sleep now," I whispered, still not blinking.

"Then go to sleep. I'll have to feed you, so I'll wait," he whispered back.

He didn't break his gaze.

I quickly drew a line with my finger down the middle of the bed. "Don't cross this. Got it?"

I cleared my throat, cheeks hot, as I turned back around.

I was going to have my first kiss tonight, and I wouldn't even be consciously aware of it.

My life sure was unfortunate.

I lay in bed, completely sensitive because a hormone ridden guy was sleeping in the same place as me. I mentally swore that it would be the first and last time until I found a worthy boyfriend.

Trying to ignore his presence, I snuggled into the covers, feeling warm and drowsy.

And then I was suddenly very, very, cold.

I turned to the source of my sudden heat loss. Neji had stolen the blankets, wrapping himself like a burrito, back turned to me, obviously searching to irritate me in any way possible.

I heard a snort of laughter.

I kicked him as hard as I could out of spite, then grabbed the covers and wrenched them back in a single tug. I only received half when I felt resistance from the enemy's side.

"Stop hogging the blanket!" I hissed, pulling harder.

"Learn to share," he hissed back. "And you crossed the line when you kicked me. Can't even follow your own rules?"

"Shut it."

I stuffed what material I had under my hip and then rolled. The force got the remaining blanket on my side. I wriggled a bit to get comfortable, realizing that I was the one wrapped up this time.

"Bitch," he snarled. And then his hand shot out, _over the line_, to get the covers I had stolen. He pulled hard and I unraveled, only stopping to grab onto the corner that was now slipping out of my hands. I fisted the cotton into my hands, and yanked back. But he refused to give up, using his body weight to his advantage, glaring at me in the dark.

I refused to take any more of his crap, and stuck my foot across the line to plant it in his stomach for some extra leverage. The breath was immediately knocked out, and he gasped, his hold loosening.

"Ha," I said triumphantly. But I didn't take advantage of the situation.

The only thought that was running through my mind was that he had some really _tight_ abs. I could feel the tautness of his muscles under my foot, feeling them move with every pained breath he took.

And then, for revenge purposes, Neji propped his leg on top of mine and invaded my personal space. In that short moment, his grasp on the blankets increased as well.

The spell was broken, and we were back in the war.

"Let go," he grunted.

"Get off my leg," I said back, pushing into his gut with even more force.

As if to purposely disobey me, he wrapped his leg around mine, entangling them.

"Sexual harassment!" I yelled in anger, feeling completely violated.

"Like you're not used to it already?" he retorted, still not giving up the fight over the covers.

"So you admit it!" I said, pulling harder, taking my twisted leg and moving it in between his, trying to break free. "Get out of my area!"

"Get off my stomach," he chewed out, stuffing what blanket he had under his arm. He used his other arm to push my foot off, fingers slipping around my ankle and tugging it away.

I struggled, of course. "You suck," I said through clenched teeth. "Let go, let go!"

"In your dreams," Neji snarled, shoving my captured foot back across the line. His legs squeezed mine tighter, and it was such a foreign sensation that I yelped.

Then reality came crashing down.

I relinquished my grip, letting my fingers slack.

I was sharing a bed with Neji.

My legs were in between his, and I could feel the slip of his skin against mine since his sweats had ridden up during our struggle. The touch of his fingers tickled against my ankle.

He snatched the blanket away, grinning in victory. He wasn't aware of it yet.

I, on the other hand, was blushing so furiously that I could have fried an egg on my face.

Time passed. Neji looked confused, as I wasn't fighting back.

I gulped, accidentally moving my leg.

And then he got it, and his face froze.

I looked down, too scared to make eye contact.

Slowly, his fingers let go, setting my foot gently on the mattress. He untangled his legs from mine and moved back to his side of the bed.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, take half." He shoved some of the blanked to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled. Then, as an added after thought, "This better not happen again, or your face will resemble a smashed pumpkin."

He snorted. "Maybe I should just take the blanket back. Go to sleep, Tenten. There's a long day ahead."

"Says the person who started it," I muttered, taking the covers and pulling them over me.

I dearly hoped that he wouldn't kiss me that night. I didn't think my heart would be able to take anymore.

Like I said before: my life was _really_ unfortunate.

* * *

><p>Every girl dreams of waking up next to some hot guy. I woke up next to a hot guy. Except he was about to take a chunk out of my neck.<p>

Lovely, isn't it?

"Not in the morning," I hissed. "I'm still malnourished and—"

Strange. I felt fine. Energetic, in fact…my stomach was filled, and my throat had never been happier. I was about to thank him, then realized the implications of my normal symptoms. He…_kissed _me. And now…

His arms were around me, hair tangled with mine, like we were actually a real couple, waking up after—

Those indecent thoughts needed to stop.

Judging from his breathing, he was still fast asleep, mouth dangerously close to my neck. With a mild bit of difficulty, I struggled out of his grasp and headed to wash up. Any more contact with him would make me even more perverted.

I didn't know where he got all the hygienic items, but I really appreciated their existence while washing up. I decided to go out in the baggy clothes as opposed to the more fashionable ones. Now that I thought about it, now was a good time for clothes washing.

Sure, I had never washed clothes by hand before, but I figured it wouldn't be too difficult.

Minutes later, I found out I was an extremely sheltered child.

The clothes were sopping, the soap would not come off my hands, and my legs were getting sore. Wringing them out was the most difficult part, and required the use of all my upper body strength.

After my exhausting battle with the clothing, I hung them up to dry above a bucket in case water continued to drip.

I finished washing, and felt clean and refreshed, and ready to take on the world.

"Oh, good. You're awake. I need to eat."

Scratch that. Dealing with Hyuuga-sensei was enough.

"Wash first. Eat later," I ordered, still trying to find my way out of the situation. He raised an eyebrow from his spot on the bed.

"Whatever. Just feed me."

Jerk.

* * *

><p>"So, how are you feeling today?" he asked slyly. "I feel like this is the perfect example of a symbiotic relationship. You never get hungry while I share my life force, and in repayment, you give me some blood. Together, we coexist in harmony."<p>

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You want blood right now. Make it quick. And not through the neck, or else I'll inflict bodily damage on you," I replied stiffly, trying to hide my embarrassment. I still wasn't over the first time he had sucked my blood.

He reached out for my hand, fingers long and cool.

"What?" I yelped, a little surprised.

"Don't be so jittery…relax or else I might puncture an important vein," he murmured, looking at my wrist. "Ah, here."

He licked the spot with a fluid motion of his tongue, looking at my reaction as he did so. I wrenched my wrist away, which was already numbing. "Less of the sensual licking, please," I said with my highest-pitched sarcastic voice, then realizing I sounded squeaky, cleared it to make it go away.

"But it makes the blood taste so much nicer…" he replied, taking my wrist back again. Smirking at my now flustered expression, he nibbled the pulse on my wrist bone for a brief moment, and sunk his teeth into it.

Sure, I was numb, but it didn't stop me from letting out a pleading sigh.

Oh, by the way, I would've liked nothing better than to take it back.

Red blood trickled down my arm, and he caught it with his tongue before it stained my clothes. Gently sucking on the bite wounds, he took a bit more blood before finally deciding it was enough. With the tiniest of kisses, his tongue flicked out to dab at the puncture marks, which quickly disappeared.

"Thanks for the meal," he said grinning.

"N-no problem," I stuttered. He wasn't kidding about not going overboard: I still felt fine as ever. I quickly rinsed my arm underwater, as if it would get rid of the vampire spit germs that were on it.

"Now that we've both had our fill, we had better get a move on. I've got some stuff I need to settle here before we get back," Hyuuga-sensei said, completely disregarding the fact I was in the room and he proceeded to strip.

I closed my eyes out of courtesy. "You could warn me next time you're about to randomly throw off your clothes."

"It's called 'changing,'" he retorted within the rustle of clothing. "You can open your eyes now, I'm done."

He had changed into his usual wear of a white shirt and black pants. I rolled my eyes. This guy had no creativity.

"I do too have creativity," he said absentmindedly.

"Stop reading my thoughts!"

"I don't need to read them. Your facial expression is enough. Now take my hand—we've got to fly."

I hesitantly put my hand in his. The moment I did so, he rushed through an open window and dragged me outside, where the wind was nice and warm. His wings unfurled and we flew into the air, high enough so that onlookers would think we were birds.

"So, where are we going, exactly?" I pried.

"I've got some matters—"

"I _know_. You've mentioned it. Some exact and non-vague descriptions would be _great_."

"If you must know," he said sarcastically, "I'm heading off to get my energy replenished. Ripping a dimension open takes a lot of work. And I need some special ingredients for further things. Got it?"

"Vi did it easily," I pointed out. "You're weaker than her?"

"Dimension travel is a witch's specialty. I can't win against that, no matter how much power I have. Now shush, no more questions, lest I 'accidentally' drop you."

I decided keeping my mouth shut was a good option.

We stopped in front of what looked like an office building. It was tall, and very intimidating. Hyuuga-sensei looked at me with some sort of gloating expression. "Go in, it won't bite."

"Are we meeting someone here?" I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the ground in case some people found out I didn't belong. Some eyed me warily, but most were too busy taking calls and running every-which-where to pay me any attention. It looked like a normal day at the office: desks, papers, elevators, screaming people telling others to "turn in that chart/essay/paper/report/list now," and a bunch of other chaotic and nonsensical stuff.

Like a pro, Hyuuga-sensei weaved in and out of the human traffic, while I was subject to being bumped and jostled in the most uncomfortable of fashions.

"Watch it," someone snapped.

"Sorry," I mumbled back, still trying to keep track of Hyuuga-sensei as he walked through the crowds.

He finally stopped at an elevator, which I quickly went into. He pressed a few numbers.

"We're going to the twelfth floor?" I asked as I felt the familiar sensation of moving up.

"Why not? That's why I pressed the twelve, isn't it?"

I clamped my mouth shut so a nasty reply wouldn't come out. It was no use to provoke him—the faster we got there, the faster I could get back.

We stopped at floor eight, and some…overly chubby…guy got on. He may have been a businessman, with his suit bursting at the buttons and pants that may have split right then and there. I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at the wet spots near his armpits.

To my absolute horror, he decided to stand next to me, sipping his coffee.

I tried my best to ignore him.

Then I yelped in surprise as I felt something scalding hot on my leg, trickling down into a puddle on the floor.

I just had coffee spilled on me.

Super.

"I—I—oh goodness gracious, I'm so sorry," the guy blubbered, also managing to spit on me in the process. His cup (now empty) was trembling in his hands.

It took all my will power not to wipe the saliva off.

"No, it's okay—I'll clean it later," I reassured him, trying to end the conversation.

"No here—let me help you."

Suddenly, his weak, portly face turned lecherous and menacing. He whipped out some frilly-looking doily, and planted his hand on my buttocks, where the biggest stain was.

I never had felt more violated. "It's fine!" I yelled, getting panicky.

"I'll rub it _all_ off for you," he panted, sweat glistening on his face. Before he could say another word, Neji's hand had shot out and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip. I looked at it in surprise. The fat guy screamed, dropping the handkerchief on the floor.

"You'd best not touch her again, imp," Neji said in a cool, menacing voice. His eyes were narrowed in anger, and he increased the pressure on the man's hand. "Do such a thing again, and I'll snap off your wrist. Understand?"

The last word was uttered with such a threatening tone, the temperature of the elevator dropped a few degrees.

"I got it! I got it!" the man yelped. One of his suit buttons popped off.

"Good."

The elevator door opened with a ring, and Neji let go of the man's wrist, taking my hand instead. He took me out, leaving one last glare at the now traumatized man in the elevator.

"That was mildly disturbing," I muttered. There was still a cloud of anger loitering over Neji's head.

"No one is allowed to touch you but me," he hissed.

"That's kind of possessive," I said, rolling my eyes, but a little flattered as well. If he said it like that, it kind of seemed that he might have been a bit attached to m—

I took a breath and exhaled.

What in the world was I thinking?

He didn't say another word until we had reached a set of iron wrought doors. "Stay here," he ordered, sitting me in a chair. He grabbed a clipboard off of someone's desk and gave it to me, along with a pen. "Look like you're doing something. If anyone asks, you're _just a secretary._ I'll be back."

He opened the doors and disappeared.

So I was by myself, with only a clipboard, a pen, and a chair for company, in an unknown business building in the middle of a bustling city in Dearth.

Did I mention I was wearing sweatpants?

Yeah…not a good combination.

* * *

><p>I was so bored I almost fell asleep. Getting recharged shouldn't have taken SUCH a long time, right? There was also the slight possibility that Neji was trying to make my life miserable by making me wait again, which, judging from what I knew about him, was highly likely. And I swore some of the people around me were getting vaguely suspicious. I crossed my fingers and hoped no-one would come over and interact with me.<p>

"You there," came a snotty sounding voice.

I pretended I didn't hear.

They weren't talking to me anyways.

"You! Brown hair, clipboard, writing freak."

I was so busted. I pointed to myself just in case.

"Yes! You!" the snotty voice spat. "My devil, you're slow. Come here, and hurry up. We have work you need to do." The speaker came into view, a middle-aged man with glasses on his nose and the most haughty demeanor I had ever witnessed.

I played it safe, saying politely: "I'm just a secretary, sir."

"I know, I know, dimwit. That's why you're needed. Get your ass over here, bring your dumb clipboard. We're moving out."

People from Dearth had no manners at all.

"I can't leave sir," I muttered, wishing Neji would hurry up and come out.

"Nonsense," the man said, rolling his eyes. "Follow me—I'm offering you the job of a lifetime! All the other secretaries are running fill-ups in this dumb corporation. You don't really look like you're doing anything, so I know you won't mind." His eyes flashed red. "You won't mind, _right_?"

I gulped. I knew what that gaze said. _You refuse, and I'll push you out the window._ I did the only logical thing I could do at that moment. "No sir," I mumbled, collecting my belongings.

I followed him.

Albeit, a bit reluctantly.

"In here," he said roughly, jabbing me unceremoniously in the ribs and forcing me through an open door. He locked it with a wave of his fingers, scowling the entire time, complaining in an angry voice. "They don't pay me enough at this job. I'm sick, tired, and everyone here is so _damn_ incompetent—unable to handle a simple filing job. Can you believe it? Filing!"

I pretended to nod in understanding. "Of course sir."

"Don't call me sir!" he bellowed, shoving some papers off his desk.

"Mister."

"That's much better. I'm glad I finally found someone with a little respect around here," he said, sighing, having seemed to calm down a little. I sighed to, but in relief. It seemed like I had escaped a near-death situation.

Take that, Hyuuga-sensei. I could totally handle my own affairs.

The lanky man sat down in his swivel chair, and clasped his hands together, a contemplative, almost calm look on his face.

"I'm Imura. I run this place, co-head with Tsunade-sama herself. Since I chose you, you will run documents between us; always checking and filing appropriately given the office. I go alphabetically. She goes by category—you'll see when you get there. Errors are to be fixed and documented on your clipboard. Questions?"

Yeah, I had one. So, what would happen if I wasn't actually a secretary, and had no idea how to document?

"No, mister."

"Good." He took a two-foot stack of papers off his desk. "For you," he said curtly, dumping them on me. "Check and file. Any life energy that mysteriously disappears, you are to write down. Sum it up, make sure our losses aren't terrible. Out you go."

He opened the door again with a snap, and pushed me out with more force I thought his bony arms could muster.

So now I was in a company, wearing sweats with a coffee stain on my butt, and had a pile of paper in my arms. And to top it all off, I was lost.

* * *

><p>Finding my elusive vampire teacher was proving to be more difficult than I expected. I knew he was on floor eight, and I tried retracing my steps, but by the time I had reached the place I was waiting and tried the door, I found that it was locked. I knocked and waited. And knocked again and waited. And again. But no one came to answer.<p>

Now I was getting even weirder looks.

"Oh, see her? That random girl with the grey sweatpants and massive papers? She's been standing outside that door for _five_ minutes already. What a dork. She's obviously a novice."

"This is a top firm. Why is she even here? No adherence to the dress code whatsoever."

"Tsunade-sama would be so displeased."

"She would be more than displeased. I bet, she would fire this loser immediately—"

"Actually," I said through gritted teeth, turning around. "I can hear you, _colleagues_. And I'm working for Tsunade-sama and Imura-sama, so if you'd like to keep you jobs, I suggest you either shut up and stay, or leave. Your choice." I narrowed my eyes to look menacing. "Unless you want me to tell them what you've assumed about me?"

The crowd that had somehow found its way around me dissipated quickly. I held myself a little taller, proud of my accomplishment.

That's right. Who was the boss? Me.

"…Who the hell are you?"

I turned around. That door that I had supposedly thought was locked was now open, and a busty blonde lady was leaning against the doorframe, swaying side to side. Her face was flushed.

I blinked. "Are…you alright?" She looked like she would collapse any moment.

"Aish, of course," she slurred, eyes half-lidded and unfocused.

The only logical explanation I could come up with was that she was drunk, but I chose to keep my mouth sealed.

"Drunk? _Drunk_?" she roared, swaying violently. "Of course I am!"

Another mind reader.

SPLENDID.

"Tsunade-sama, do not push yourself. After recharging people, you always get a little…intoxicated," said Neji, appearing beside her. Then he saw me. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"What the hell are you doing with all those papers?"

I gulped and shuffled my feet. "It's a long story."

* * *

><p>"That fool!" Tsunade-sama yelled, kicking her feet up on her office desk. "I told him—double spaced—shit, that Imura never listens to me." She glared at me angrily, like it was my fault she had more paperwork.<p>

Well, it _was_ my fault. Partially.

"Take these back to him," she said snappily, stuffing a handful of papers in my direction. "Tell him to file these forms and send the third one to the Resource Department."

I took the papers, unsure of what to do.

Neji sighed. I knew what he was thinking: _She got herself in a pile of shit this time. _

I knew. I really did.

So I just awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally, I cleared my throat. "Uh, Tsunade-sama…to tell you the truth, I don't exactly have the credentials for this job," I said guiltily. She pursed her lips in aggravation. Hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict, I bowed in apology. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "You finally admit it. I was wondering how long it would take—you have the largest mortal scent I have ever smelled."

I wasn't sure of whether that was a compliment or not.

"So you're not…upset?" I tried.

She scowled. "Of course I'm upset! A mortal got into my company and _none_ of my workers reported it to me. There is obviously some slacking going around here. And I have to look for a new secretary…maybe Shizune on floor two. I hate doing work, you realize that? But for now, take your blood-sucking friend. His energy's up and ready, free of charge." She gave me an offhand wave. "Off you go."

I decided it would be unwise to cross her, so I stepped out of the doorway, almost out of earshot. As I left, I heard Tsunade-sama comment to Neji: "That large amount of innocence is nauseating. Don't do anything immoral to her."

I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Like that's possible."

* * *

><p><strong>And, we're done. That's a wrap!<strong>

**Overprotective Neji is a fun one to write. :)  
><strong>

**...So, I just finished writing something extremely fluffy that shall be coming up within the next few chapters. Look forward to it.**

**I had so much fun writing the blanket snatching scene...I just stuck it in there a while ago. It makes me giggle. :)**

**What do you guys think of this chapter?**

**R&R!  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Early update this time!**

**It's a bit shorter, but filled with so much goodness I think it makes up for it. :)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>"So, we can go home now, right?" I asked hopefully as we exited the office building. He rolled his eyes in response.<p>

"Do you listen to anything I say? Whether in class or out of class? I still have some unfinished business to finish."

I groaned. "How much longer? Everyone at home must be worried sick."

"A week or so."

My jaw dropped.

"A week?" I shrieked, roughly shaking him by the shoulders. He didn't look too pleased at my choice of bodily contact. "I can't stay in this _hellhole_ for an entire week!"

I barely survived three days. A week was out of the question.

"You will," he replied calmly, taking my hands off his shoulders. "I will feed you my energy. That's all you need to survive. It will curb your hunger and your thirst."

"I don't want help like that," I pouted, crossing my arms.

"We can't always get what we want," he answered.

"_We can't always get what we want_," I imitated, sticking my tongue out at him for good measure.

We continued to walk the streets, finally arriving at a small shop on the corner of a block. Neji entered it without a second's thought, and the bell signified our entrance. I looked around. All I saw was a dingy shop interior, with a single lamp, a table, and a set of stairs leading to the upper floor. There were assorted jars on shelves, all dusty and decrepit, labeled with words I had no idea existed. Yet Neji picked up a few of them after examining them thoroughly and set them on the table.

He cleared his throat. "I'd like to make these purchases."

He put a credit card on the unoccupied table, and it poofed away, leaving the mysterious jars cleaner and brighter—like they were brand new again.

"That's it?" I asked. Maybe I was getting too used to the whole "I know a vampire exists and I'm in Dearth" thing, but the normalcy of the transfer kinda creeped me out.

"Of course that's not it," he said, snatching a bag off the coat rack near the door and stuffing the jars in it. "We're going to run now."

"But we paid," I said, confused.

Suddenly, I understood what he meant when something burst through the door we had just entered. The stench was terrible, and judging by the heavy breathing, it was big and ugly.

I knew it was too easy.

"I paid on my clan's credit card," Neji explained, totally unfazed. "So they know I'm here."

I swore. "That was dumb."

"No need to tell me. So, I'm going to repeat myself again, which I don't do often, so listen up. _We're going to run now._"

That sounded like a good plan.

* * *

><p>"So mind telling me what that is?" I yelled as we sprinted down the streets. The other bystanders acted like it was totally normal to be chased my some freaking huge monster.<p>

"That's the police," he said, hitching the bag onto his shoulder.

"So are we illegal fugitives or something?"

"You could say that."

"We've done something illegal. Shit. What is wrong with you?"

I could only imagine what my mother would say if she saw me now.

_Shame, Tenten! Shame on you! Hanging out with the wrong types of people! Getting yourself in danger—going to the bad side—what have I done wrong as a mother?_

And then dad would say something like…

_You'd better haul your ass away FAST._

"Get ready," Neji grunted. "We're headed back. They can't detect us within the radius of his house, so we'll be safe there." With that, he looped an arm around my waist and took to the skies. The monster we left behind roared, sending shockwaves through the air which Neji dodged easily. We were soon so far away that I couldn't see it anymore, but I knew it was running down the streets, chasing us all the way.

"Hurry, hurry," I urged, goading him on faster.

"You think I don't know?" he snapped. "I wouldn't like being brought back by that thing either, if you haven't figured it out yet." But he heeded my words and flew faster, finally going into a nose dive and landing us right in front of Jiraiya's house.

I stood on the ground, legs shaking.

How many times had I escaped near death? I had lost count.

"Get in, get in," he hissed, shoving me into the house and locking the door.

"Are you dealing drugs or something?" I whispered angrily, just in case the police had supersonic hearing too.

"Please. This is much better than that," he said, taking the jars out and redoing the labels. "Five days from now, when it's the full moon, we're heading to the forests. I have to get to the point directly below the moon, and then—"

He stopped abruptly. "Never mind. But we need these ingredients."

I frowned. He was hiding something, I knew. That much was obvious, but I wasn't the type to pry. I pretended I didn't suspect a thing and picked up a jar. "So what's in this?"

"The normal stuff. Frog spleens, feathers, snake venom. The usual."

I made a disgusted face. "Sounds simply darling."

"It's good enough for what I need it for," he said simply, effectively dodging my veiled question.

A stomp echoed around the room, and I froze. That…_thing_ was obviously here. I saw its shadow pass through the window and I barely dared to breathe. It stopped like it knew we were inside the house. I could feel my eyes get wide and panicky, as if by opening them larger I could see a greater range of things that might injure me.

Neji didn't look fazed at all.

It took a whiff of the air.

And then it left.

Just like that.

The breath I had been holding was exhaled in one fell swoop. "We're alive."

"Of course," he stated bluntly, still examining the jars that nearly killed us, "This house is special. It's cut off from here and placed in a different dimension. There's no way that monster could've reached us."

"So we get a break now, right?" I asked hopefully.

Neji laughed.

That was a bad sign

"Since when have I _ever_ given you a break, Kurenai-san?"

I sighed. "Never."

"That's right," he answered, storing the containers in a cabinet, "So off we go."

* * *

><p>I never should have taken his hand again. We went through swamps, hiked through forests, took an escalator underground, and a bunch of other things that were totally unnecessary.<p>

I had gotten more injuries than I ever received in my entire life. I almost broke my leg while trying to jump over the longest ditch ever. When we were in the canyon, I nearly fell off a cliff (mind you, these are some of the less severe injuries). Then there was the alligator in the swamp, the tree branches that decided they enjoyed inflicting pain on me, the pebbles in my shoes, and the bites from bugs that were as big as my fist.

We were in the mountains now. It was freezing cold, my fingers were turning blue, and Neji was laughing like it was all a game. "Isn't this fun? It's like treasure hunting."

I scowled and sniffled, almost tripping in the snow. The wind was harsh and it was chapping my skin like no other. "Define fun," I answered, drawing my shirt closer to my body. I took a step, and my foot encountered a slab of ice. And ice was slippery. I fell face first onto the ground, scraping my arm against a rock nearby. Blood fell onto the snow, staining it with red. The road was steep and I failed to get back up, sliding faster and faster down the mountain.

Screams failed to come out of my throat and I tucked my head into my hands. My heart was pumping like I was about to die.

Which was pretty accurate.

As Neji's face got farther and farther, I saw him roll his eyes in exasperation. "Women."

With a single leap he had caught up to me, spreading his wings and grabbing my wrist. He heaved a bit and tossed me into his arms. "Really," he smirked. "Can't you take care of yourself?"

"It was an accident," I muttered, teeth chattering. His chest was unnaturally warm in the chilly air. I pressed as much of my skin to him as possible, hoping to gain some warmth. His shoulders stiffened slightly.

The cold weather had numbed most of the pain on my arm and on the other injuries, but that didn't mean they were okay.

With a light landing we arrived back on the ground again.

He set me down, straightening his clothes.

He turned to look at me.

"Just a little more," Neji said, reaching out a hand.

I looked at it apprehensively. "What are you doing?"

He sighed. "You're going to end up tripping or hurting yourself again, accident-prone person."

I hesitated slightly before taking his hand. I was surprised at the closeness of our touch, how the heat of his palms warmed me up quickly. He dragged me up the mountain until we finally reached the top. Our breaths were fogging up in the air. I was sweating.

Neji stuck his hands into the snow, digging and scraping the ice away. Finally, he unearthed a little white blossom. His hands reached into his jacket for a vial, and he dropped the flower in it.

"Good job," he said. "Now onto the next task."

I gulped. "There's more?"

"You've been with me long enough to know that there is always more, Tenten."

* * *

><p>I did not come out of the adventure looking pretty.<p>

At ALL.

We went through at least five more places, all of which managed to maul me in some manner.

I was in extreme pain, and in dire need of some band-aids.

While Neji, being the dumb perfect guy he was, came out unscathed and whistling. It seemed like everything feared him, which I could understand somewhat.

He did some minor dimension ripping to get us back to the house. It would have been too much work to fly back, he said. The next day, he would probably have to get his power back through Tsunade again, which meant more traveling.

I was completely exhausted, legs shaking, nose sniffling, head pounding like I had a fever.

He was such an ass.

A donkey beyond all proportions.

We had brought back a bunch of dumb items (really, couldn't he have ordered them off the black market instead of finding them?) and Neji had stored them with the other jars he had.

I still didn't know what they were for, but I chose not to ask. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

He seemed to have noticed my wounded state, and his eyebrows went up a fraction. "What did you do to yourself?"

"Oh, shut up. This is your fault. If you didn't drag me everywhere, if you had _just left me here,_ then I wouldn't be like this," I snapped.

He flinched a little, and turned his head.

I applied some water to the scrapes and washed them out. I winced when the soap touched them. It burned.

"Don't you have any super healing medicine or anything?" I asked, trying to pry a wood splinter out of my wound.

"Maybe. There should be some here somewhere," I heard him mutter through the rustle of objects and containers.

I dried off my arm with a towel, and then began working on my legs, which weren't in any good shape either. Silence enveloped the room, broken only by the shuffle of bottles and the rush of water.

Finally, Neji broke the silence with a sigh. "There's nothing. Should I go out and get some? The apothecary is just down the street."

He would probably have to pay with the clan's credit card again. And I had no desire for him to get eaten by the police just because he went to get some medicine.

I answered absentmindedly. "There's no need for that. You have magic spit, right?"

Then suddenly realized the implications of my words.

_I_ was clearly the dumb one.

I quickly shut the faucet and acted nonchalantly, panicking on the inside. I could practically hear his smirk as he closed the medicine cabinet. "No need for bandages, ointments, anything?"

"I take it back!" I yelled, losing all sense of self-control. "I retract my response, pretend like it never happened—Neji, don't you dare—"

My words fell on deaf ears as he pulled me into the bathroom, a cocky smile on his face. I dug my heels as hard as I could into the ground, but to no avail. I ended up sliding towards him anyways.

"You want me to lick all your wounds clean?" he murmured as he closed the door, locking it with a swift rotation of his fingers.

I glared and said with the harshest tone possible: "NO."

He sat himself on the sink, leaning against the mirror like he didn't care if it smudged. "Why in the world are you worried? We already kissed, didn't we?"

"Don't remind me," I grumbled.

"So there should be no problem," he said, looking sadistic. "It _would_ save me a lot of trouble—bandaging can be a real pain."

"Then I'll do it myself," I retorted. "Pretend I didn't even utter those words. My voice box never decided to speak. Its fine, I'll wash out all my injuries, and then we'll—I mean, I'll—go to bed."

With that, I unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. Yet, as always, I made the unfortunate decision of turning my back to him. In a flash, an arm snaked itself around my waist, and dragged me towards a very familiar person and a very familiar chest.

"Let go," I grunted, struggling against his arm, trying to pry it off with both of my hands.

He rested his chin on the crook of my shoulder. "Sorry." His hot breath ghosted past my ear. "I don't think I can." With his free hand, he took my wrist and pressed it to his lips, gently licking the scratches that had appeared after exploring with him. As if it were magic, the skin stitched itself back together, leaving the place as smooth as it was before.

He went to the next place, and the next, and the next—making each place his lips touched flare up in heat, always working noiselessly. And after he moved on, the spots still stayed warm, like they were waiting for him to return.

"You can stop now," I whispered when he picked me up and placed me on the countertop. He began cuffing up my pants, revealing scrapes that were raw and red, answering me with nonchalant silence.

Neji's lips never missed a spot, tongue darting out every now and then to lick up the blood that was coming out of the worst of wounds. "My fault," he murmured against my skin, so unlike his usual demeanor…quiet, vulnerable, and remorseful. Letting his eyelashes brush against my leg, his fingers traced over the injuries, almost as if he were afraid he would hurt me…

"It's fine," I reassured him, wanting nothing more than to touch him back, to show him my cuts weren't serious, to put that mocking smile back on his face.

"I should have never left," he said, voice soft. "I should have never got you entangled in my messes. This wasn't supposed to happen…I'm _so sorry._" And then he looked up at me, with eyes so sad, so lonely, that without a thought, I placed my hands on the sides of his face and brought my lips to his cheek.

I felt like crying for reasons I didn't understand.

No, I knew.

I didn't want to see him like that.

For the first time ever, I initiated the contact, and his skin was cool against my mouth. I pulled back, putting on my face what I hoped was a strong smile, ignoring the blush that was coloring my cheeks. "There's no way in hell I'm going to forgive you for all the crap you've put me through. But," I took a breath, "That doesn't mean you can't pay and reverse your debts, right? And you've done a lot for me already, so much that sometimes I can't believe you're the sadistic teacher I have in college."

I grinned and wiggled my healed foot. "Get it, idiot?"

"Got it," he breathed.

And for the second time in my life, I was kissed.

Except, this time, I was awake for it.

I had enough sanity to push him back a bit, but our lips brushed for a mere fraction of a second. It was like a butterfly had landed and then flew off. His lips were soft and almost innocent, unsure and wanton, a multiple of paradoxes that sent my head spinning. During that brief moment of contact, I felt his power course through me, dispelling all hunger and thirst, speeding up the healing in my body. My blood was pounding in my ears.

I couldn't do this.

I quickly moved away, bringing up my wrist to cover up my mouth. "I-I think I should go now," I stuttered, slipping off the counter and out the door.

He didn't bother to stop me this time.

It was going to be an awkward night.

* * *

><p>I drew the covers up close, desperately closing my eyes and hoping I would fall asleep before he came. But my heart was palpitating at an infinite number of beats and my eyes were wide open.<p>

Nervousness crawled over my skin.

What just happened?

I kissed him?

Okay, it wasn't "on the lips" kiss, but I had put my mouth in contact with his body, and that was enough. Worst of all, it was of my own free will, without being tranced or anything.

And then I had consciously felt him return the gesture, but in the right place…

I covered my eyes with my hands.

This was so bad.

So very, very bad.

Curling myself into a ball and hugging a pillow to my chest, I prayed that I wasn't doing something dumb.

Like falling in love with him.

Because that would be _so_ incredibly stupid.

I willed my brain to recall all the harassment I had undergone, the public humiliation and starving in a jail cell, but the feeling of over-sensitive skin still remained. I had been with Neji—Hyuuga-sensei—I was so disoriented I didn't even know what to call him anymore—for nearly three months. I attempted to convince myself that it wasn't nearly enough time to grow emotionally attached to _anyone_.

Especially a vampire.

...My heart was still jumping.

The door from the bathroom creaked open and I heard steps my way. I quickly pretended I was sleeping, trying to calm down my heart through deep breaths.

The footsteps stopped, and a familiar weight settled across the bed. I could feel the heat of his body through the covers.

I wanted to scoot farther, to the edge of the mattress.

Maybe that would make things better.

The sound of his breathing was calming. At least I knew he wasn't as sensitive of my presence as I was of his. After all; it was on a bartering system—a kiss for some blood. That's how we worked. Business and personal matters were to be kept separate.

I felt him roll over in bed, and he started breathing down my neck, puffs of air heating the junction between my neck and shoulder blades.

Was he sleeping?

I didn't dare to look.

He answered that question by sneaking a hand into my hair, twirling a piece of it around his finger.

He wasn't sleeping.

I finally broke the silence by whispering through the night. My hushed voice echoed in the room. "What are you doing?"

His answer was just as quiet. "I'm touching you."

The very reality of that answer struck me, and I curled myself even tighter. "Well, could you stop?" I asked, forcing my voice to sound irritated.

He sighed, and I knew he was beginning to smirk behind me. "I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Oh really? I could just snap off your fingers, you know," I replied, fighting the smile that was crawling onto my face despite my heated blush.

"You wouldn't dare. You would starve—I'd never kiss you again."

"That's not really a problem."

We relapsed into our array of insulting and witty comments like we always had. Him, provoking me till no end; me, trying to stop his advances by any means possible.

It felt…normal.

And wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Sigh. It's so sweet that my teeth are rotting.<strong>

**What did you think of this chapter? I'd love to hear from you. :)**

**R&R!  
><strong>

**-Miss S  
><strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Ehh...late, yes.**

**Happy Thanksgiving :)  
><strong>

**This chapter...is long, but hopefully worth the wait.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>When I woke up the next morning, my face was mere millimeters away from Neji's. I just lay there for a while, looking at him, listening to him breathe.<p>

I didn't dare to blink.

And my lips were tingling, like they wanted to feel the touch of his skin again…

If I pressed them to him, would he notice?

I pursed my lips, as if to stop them from sending odd signals to my brain. That was last night. Today was a new morning, and I needed to forget the past incident, or else I would never be able to function normally again.

It was all his fault.

"Sensei," I whispered, finally daring to nudge him slightly. "We need to get up."

He didn't move.

I tried again, this time kicking him. "Get up."

He grunted and rolled over.

I bit my inner cheek in irritation. Drastic measures were needed. I took a fistful of his hair, aware that it was soft and silky (I did feel a tad guilty afterwards), and yanked it as hard as I could.

"What the hell!" he yelled, immediately turning around and glaring so intensely I felt my eyeballs shatter.

"Get up," I reiterated.

"You could have chosen a better method," he grumbled, massaging the area I had mercilessly pulled on.

I shrugged. "I tried, lazy bum. Now haul your butt off this bed. You've got a lot of items to get by the full moon, right? So hurry the _hell_ up."

"You're like my mother," he said, grudgingly dragging himself to the bathroom door, ruffling his hair so it fell around his shoulders in a pool of coffee color.

I averted my eyes, trying to calm my rapidly speeding heart.

This needed to stop.

I dug myself into the bed, like it would shelter me from anything and everything. My feet were ice cold, and my face was burning. Goosebumps were coming from my arms, even though my torso was warm…

I must have been sick or something.

Neji seemed to sense my discomfort, for I felt the mattress sink down under his weight as he crawled over me, pinning my between his arms. His dark tresses graced his face like a flowing waterfall, eyes bright against the dim morning sun.

"Are you alright?"

I struggled to answer. "Uh, yeah…fine. Um yes, I'm fine."

He frowned in response. "You look kind of sick…" then the grin was back on his face. "Love_sick_?" he crowed mockingly, smirk wide.

"I'm pretty sure that's not right," I grumbled. "What would I fall in love with?" I pretended to look around, then pointed at the chest of drawers. "That?"

He rolled his eyes and leaned closer.

Our noses nearly touched.

The events from a few hours back instantly replayed in my head, and I felt my temperature get warmer, hands clammier.

"You _sure_ you're not just suffering from the love bug?" he whispered, biting his lip cheekily.

I scowled. "I assure you, I am not." And to prove my point, I let out a whopping cough right in his face.

But it didn't stop—I kept going, throat itching and burning, swallowing painfully.

Turned out, I really _was_ sick.

* * *

><p>"You idiot," Neji snapped, wringing a wet towel in a basin, "You've wasted a bunch of time!"<p>

"It's all because of your stupid blanket snatching when I just got out of a prison, coupled with the hypothermia from the mountain and other crap you made me go through," I hissed, voice raspy and completely weak-sounding. I hated it when I was sick. Not only did I feel like crap, my head hurt, my nose was congested, and it was like my throat had been lit on fire. I was in bed, completely immobile, and according to Neji, running a high fever.

The cool cloth eased my head a little, and I sighed in relief.

"I have to take care of you now?" he grumbled, still looking displeased, wiping his wet hands on his pants.

I coughed, eyebrows narrowing. "Well, you could go look for the dumb items yourself…I'm not going to stop you. Please, go ahead. I'll just take a nap."

I was half-hoping he would just leave.

He seemed to ponder the idea for a mere moment, then shook his head and got up to change the water. "I can't leave a sick student by herself."

The answer surprised me, but I tried not to show it.

"Wow," I said sarcastically, wondering if the burning cheeks were due to the fever or of something else, "Finally doing something considerate. Appreciate it."

"On second thought, I'll just leave you here."

"Sounds good."

"You're lying. I know you really don't want me to leave."

"Think that if you want…you're only deceiving yourself."

Neji paused. "I hate you."

I grinned. "The feeling's mutual. Symbiotic relationship, remember? Now let me be, lest I infect you with germs. Which I'm really considering right now."

"Got it, got it," he said, rolling his eyes. "This is the thanks I get for helping the sick."

"If you really want to help, make me better."

He froze, and then left without a word.

I frowned at his retreating back.

Did I say something wrong?

I started to get worried when he wasn't back the next day. My cold had gotten better overnight, and now only the cough and runny nose persisted. I decided to wait it out a little longer. Maybe he had a bad sense of direction and was lost in the mountains or something. So he didn't have a GPS…he would be able to find his way back.

And then he wasn't in the house the day after.

He hadn't contacted me, he had left all his belongings so I knew he wasn't just ditching me—but he physically wasn't there.

That bothered me.

Something was not right.

I was still mildly sick, but I could walk and carry on a decent conversation without hacking up in someone's face.

I crawled out of the house, packing some stuff with me. I hated to acknowledge it, but I was starving without him. I hadn't dared to leave Jiraiya's place, in case the police would show up and eat me whole, so groceries were out of the question. But I did end up finding some edibles in the kitchen, some preserved fruit and jerky. I filled a canteen with tap water. It wasn't much, but I brought them along with a kitchen knife.

For defense, of course.

I stuffed all the items in a bag and left.

If he wasn't going to show up, I was going to find him.

* * *

><p>It would have made more sense if I had thought of a plan of sorts before getting out of the radius barrier. But no. I didn't. And so I was running for my life while being chased by random creatures in the city.<p>

And you thought _your_ life was weird.

I skirted around a corner, breathing heavily. Didn't these guys know the meaning of exhaustion? I had heard Neji say he would be going to the desert areas to search for the next item…something about crushed beetle skulls or something gross along the same lines. I wondered if I should ask my pursuers directions, then decided against it. They'd probably eat me afterwards.

So I continued running, discovering that flying really was easier and that I had taken it for granted. I coughed again. If I kept this up, they would push me to the point of exhaustion…I didn't have any allies in this world to help me with finding Neji.

He was in some serious trouble when I found him.

Then, a light bulb went off in my head when I caught sight of a high building. Wasn't that…?

Tsunade. I could ask her. Surely she would at least have some warmth in her stone cold, drunken heart to hear me out.

I dashed inside, knowing that the mob would be too scared to enter such a high class business center. I took the elevator up, tactfully avoiding gross, sweaty men, and eventually found the room again.

I peeked inside, but didn't see anyone.

I frowned. It would mean a load of trouble if she wasn't there.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked a stern voice. I turned around to find a short woman with cropped black hair. Her lips were pursed.

"Ah, no. But you see, I'm an acquaintance of Tsunade-sama."

She smiled sarcastically. "That's what they all say. I'm afraid you won't be seeing her for a while."

"But this is urgent," I insisted. Didn't she have any idea? I was Neji's _food source._ Without me, he might as well wither up into a little husk. Well, he could take someone else's blood, but part of me really didn't like the thought.

I wasn't possessive. He could do whatever he wanted.

I so did not care one iota.

Except my stomach was aching and I was in desperate need of water.

"Urgent? Hm." She tapped her pencil, pretending to think. "On a scale from one to ten, how urgent is it?"

"Positive infinity," I snapped.

For a moment, the woman looked confused. "Infinity?"

"Sideways eight," I muttered. "But I'll let you in on a secret, okay? If you don't want someone like Imura-sama on your tail—I've worked under him just letting you know—you'd better page her, text her, scream her name over the intercom, _whatever it takes_ to get her here. Got it?"

True to her status, the secretary woman wasn't fazed at all. "What Imura-sama does is none of my business, and mine is none of his either. Tsunade-sama will not come. She's too busy doing refills."

I was getting nowhere with this woman. She was either really dumb, or really competent—I couldn't tell which. But one this was for sure: she was holding me up. Neji could be dying in some remote part of Dearth, or having a scandalous affair, or even having lunch or something, but the biggest thing was, I was _starving._ He needed to get his ass back to make sure I didn't shrivel up.

This lady was wasting my time.

"I'll just find Neji myself then," I hissed.

A look of surprise crossed her face. "Neji?" she whispered, as if suddenly remembering something. Then she began digging into the bag at her side, pulling out a slip of paper, handing it to me with sharp curtness. "For you. A message. It should suffice."

I opened it.

It was a map, filled with dotted lines and circles and X's.

"Tsunade-sama thought it might come in handy," she said with a dry smile. "It should be all you need, right? Good luck finding your boyfriend."

"Thanks," I murmured. So the lady wasn't so bad after all.

Oh wait.

What did she say after that?

"He's not my boyfriend!" I said heatedly, trying to fold up the map nicely to distract myself. Sure, that was a slow reaction, but…

"He's not?" she asked. "Then why are you going through such lengths to find him? You _were_ chased here by a bunch of wild monsters, and it looks like you haven't eaten for days."

I took a breath and gave her the best answer I could.

"It's complicated."

* * *

><p>I could only thank the gods for the lovely use of public transportation. Without it, I would've gotten close to Neji's location in a matter of months. But with the train, it only took a few hours. No doubt Neji had chosen to fly to avoid being picked up by his clan, but I really had no choice. Walking was definitely the worst option.<p>

The money for the ride? It was easy. I fished currency out of the streets (it seemed like most anyone had holes in their pockets). I reminded myself to ask Neji to reimburse me, both in dignity and in cash.

Seriously. If I wasn't about to die of hunger, I wouldn't even have gone that far.

So yeah. Sitting on the train.

The vehicle stopped at a remote area in the forest, with only the small bus-stop sign to show that there was indeed, civilization out there. It was creepy, like the rest of Dearth: dark, chilly, and very, very scary looking. The trees were tall, with scraggly branches and charred bases, the ground littered with abandoned leaves. There were odd noises, and I swore I saw golden eyes watching me from where I stood…

Shaking my head, I hitched the bag higher on my arm and stepped through the paths with a purpose. Neji was in here somewhere. And by god, I was going to find that sorry excuse for a vampire and drag him back home.

I hadn't gotten very far when I realized I was shaking with the cold. I pulled the sweater around me tighter, trying to ignore the blue tint that was creeping into my hands. I blew on them to heat them up a bit, but it didn't really help. Looking around, I tried to gather at least some hint as to where Neji was. The map the lady had given me wasn't proving to be much help—it only got me as far as the forest. From this point onwards, I was on my own.

I heard a rustle from behind me, and I was instantly on the alert. Careful not to make any noise, I lowered myself to the ground, attempting to slow down my heartbeat and barely daring to breathe. A huge, lurking shadow appeared from behind the trees, clearly looking for something...or someone.

I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who it was.

Reaching into my bag, I withdrew the knife. My hands were shaking, but it wasn't from the cold this time. I had never felt more nervous in my life.

I prayed and prayed and prayed the monster wouldn't turn around.

It could probably smell fear.

And a lot of it was coming from me.

I stayed as still as possible, adrenaline coursing through my veins, watching the hulking figure take a step forward, crunching the leaves into smithereens.

And then it let out a snarl, almost mockingly, and faced me.

You don't know the meaning of ugly till you see one of these guys.

It staggered toward me, drool dripping from purple lips, holding a club and wearing some really tacky tribal clothing. I decided it would be a great idea to get away. My legs were already springing up to dash, muscles tensing and ready to run. But the thing moved faster than I thought it would and got to me in a flash. It towered over me, leering and reeking like unwashed gym socks. In a moment of self-defense, I stabbed it with the knife in my hand. The metal made a disgusting squelching sound as it hit the flesh, and when I drew it out, blue blood spurted from the wound.

One word. Ew.

The beast roared in pain, swinging the club at me in revenge. It clipped my shoulder, and pain erupted from the spot. I cried out, and the message finally reached my legs. I took off at full sprint, knocking into branches and stumbling over roots. The trees ripped at my arms, sending long pink gashes down my arms. My breath was burning in my throat.

I was still sick.

Damn, I never got a break…

I leaped over a nasty looking boulder, stuck the landing, and continued to run. The ugly fellow still sounded hot on my heels—I could hear branches snapping at a rapid pace. I took a sharp right and hid behind a large ledge, breathing hard. I readied the knife in my hand.

I wasn't going to go down. Oh no, far from it.

I was going to wait for him to get to me. Then I would render him unable to move for centuries to come.

Good plan.

The footsteps thudded closer. I could hear it sniffing out the air, probably catching a whiff of my sweat. And then its shadow was right before me. Any moment now, it would round the corner—

The hideous face greeted my sight and I knocked into his side with my shoulder, pushing him off his center of gravity. Sure, I wasn't a heavy weight champ by any means, but that didn't mean I couldn't push him over.

Thank you, physics.

Then the blade was in my hands, and with one steady breath, I leapt onto its torso and slashed its eyes.

Probably the grossest thing I've ever done.

It howled in pain and with some effort, I pushed the club away from his wildly waving hands.

"Don't move big guy," I warned, still not feeling too hot. My arms were crawling with nervousness, and I tried not to retch at the blue blood that was dripping off my knife. I felt bad and extremely sympathetic towards the thing that was clutching its face in pain, but it was either my life or his. And I knew—if I had given it the chance, those giant arms would have ripped me apart without another thought.

"Now stay down," I ordered, letting out a light cough. "I have to go find Neji."

* * *

><p>I stumbled around for quite a while. All the trees started to look the same, and the temperatures were dropping. My teeth were chattering, and with every breath, a white ghost misted up the air. I needed to find him fast.<p>

To keep up my energy, I ate a bit of food and then continued to search. How big could the forest be? My feet were an aching mess, but I refused to give up. That guy owed me way too much.

I could help but feel very worried. Was he bundled up? Did he eat anything while he wasn't with me? Was he hurt?

"Curses," I breathed. Night was approaching, and soon, it would be too dark to make out anything. "Hyuuga-sensei, you'd better thank me for this. Once I find you and your dumb body, I am going to _kill you._"

The sun dipped past the horizon. I looked up at the sky. At most, I had a few hours left. Heck, I didn't even know where the bus stop was anymore…how in the world was I going to find him?

I began jogging to keep my circulation going. Hopefully I could cover more distance too.

A branch snagged at my hair and I broke it off mercilessly. I knew I looked terrible, but that was to be expected. Twigs were in my hair, my hands were scratched and my face was cut a few times. I had a bruise near my check from a trip that landed me face first on the ground. A cracked lip. Nothing too serious, but enough to make me look like a wreck.

The woods were silent, save for my own breath. I coughed and cleared my throat, then continued to jog.

And then there was another cough.

But this time, it wasn't mine.

Blood was pounding in my ears.

A breath was added to the cough, a pained breath, ragged and out of beat.

The knife trembled in my hand as I judged the general direction of the noise. With each step, the breath grew louder and more familiar, and I finally found him nestled in the leaves on the ground in a little dip of land, almost like a valley.

Relief like no other washed over me.

Then I realized the state he was in: hair sprawled over the ground; face a deathly pale color, breath fogging in the air, eyes closed—

And just like that, the fear was back.

Holding back a strangled sob, I ran down the hill. What was he doing? How was he not okay? He was always okay, he always was there, he couldn't be like this, it wasn't _normal—_

The first thing I did was take the sweater off my body and drape it across him. My arms were bare now, but it didn't matter. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

"Neji," I breathed, eyes starting to burn. "Wake up. Come on. Look, I ran all the way over here, jerk. Get up! We need to go home."

He didn't respond.

I was panicking. What was I supposed to do?

In a split second decision, I took the knife in my hands and slashed my palm, ignoring the stinging pain that went with it. My blood, warm and red, dripped from the cut. With urgency, I pressed it to his cold mouth.

"Drink," I whispered.

Though apparently unconscious, he seemed to hear me and his lips went against my hand, throat gulping down the blood in mass quantities. My hand still hurt but I paid it no attention. The color still wasn't returning to his face.

I wrenched my palm away from him, clumsily making cut in my other hand, forcing him to drink from that one too. When that one was done, I would give him my left hand again.

Blood was dripping freely from the wounds into his mouth now. With a slight smile, I acknowledged that his lips had become warmer…

Ice cold fingers wrapped around my now warm hands, pressing the source of blood closer to his mouth. A tongue ran its length over the slash, trying to get every last drop, tracing over the crevices and spaces of my fingers.

With some force, I pried it away from him and gave him the other hand, my nose stinging in the frosty air, chest breathing hard. He drank hungrily like he hadn't eaten in days (which was true, I guess).

And slowly, like a rose blossoming, a tint of red appeared in his cheeks and I let out a sigh of relief.

He was going to be okay.

Neji's fangs pricked my palm, as if he was about to draw blood.

"Sorry," I muttered, gently resisting him. "But you're going to have to drink from the cut for a bit. Don't overexert yourself."

My voice reached his ears.

His eyes snapped open and he regarded me with them, looking at me and the surroundings and the situation. With aching slowness, he relinquished his hold on my wrist and pushed my hand away.

"Why are you here?" he whispered.

The tint of red blood still stained his face.

"Why am I here?" I reiterated, voice cracking. "You left me alone. I didn't know where the _hell_ you were. You didn't call, or leave a note, or anything. So of course," here, I let out a bitter little laugh, "I'm _worried like none other,_ so I came to find you, and was chased pretty much every where by monsters since you decided not to come back. Get it? So I've wandered around for the past day trying to get some hints as to your whereabouts, and am dumped into this stupid forest."

He gave me a once over. "You look terrible."

"Really?" I shrieked, hardly believing what I was hearing. "I just put my _ass_ on the line for you! Shit—I was chased by ugly creatures, I had to fend for myself, I was running everywhere in this damn place trying to make sure you weren't dead or anything—"

The tears that had been stored up finally fell fast and hard. I angrily wiped my eyes, hacking and coughing in frustration. "And the police were after me. I get attacked by branches, and am freezing cold and starving, I'm doing all of this for _you, dumbass_, and you have the nerve to tell me…" my voice cracked again, and I couldn't continue.

I blubbered on embarrassingly for a really long time.

After a while, I just began crying in his shoulder, my frame shaking uncontrollably. Without a word, he stroked my hair, fishing out the twigs and leaves that had found their way in. his body heat had returned, and even without my sweater, I was feeling warmer.

Finally, I let out my last sniff and pulled away.

"I was looking for you…" I mumbled as a final measure.

His eyes watched me intently. "I left for you."

"…B-but—what—I—" my mouth had decided now was a good time to not be able to string together a coherent sentence.

"You were sick…and you said you wanted to be better. So I went to look for medicine," he said, averting his gaze.

And then the tears came back and I was hiccuping every other word. "You're so…hic….dumb! I can't believe you…hic…so stupid…we mortals get better after …hic…a few days and you didn't need to do…hic…god I was so worried—never again, you hear me? What if…hic…you died or something?"

He pulled away from my iron grip and gently knocked his forehead against mine. His eyes had never looked more beautiful. "I could never leave you alone."

He cracked a smile. "Seriously, finding me in all this mess…I should have brought you along, but I didn't want you to be in danger." Neji took one of my hands and kissed the spot where I had cut it, making the wound seal up quickly. "Doing idiotic stuff like this…only you." He let out a laugh.

"I hate you," I mumbled, pulling away. "How did you get yourself in near-death condition anyways?"

"Well, I fell off a cliff, I haven't eaten your blood in days, am malnourished, and cold. That pretty much sums it up."

"My fault…shouldn't have gotten sick. Shouldn't have said that. Sorry bout…hic. Everything." I felt so guilty it was unbearable.

It was all because of what I said.

I buried my face in my hands and got up, ignoring the sudden rush of blood that sent my head spinning. I took a step forward, then seemed to lose balance. I stretched out my arms for something to reach out for, but only hit air.

"Tenten?"

He sounded worried.

My body tipped in an awkward fashion, and I fell to the floor. The leaves crumpled beneath my weight.

Seemed like Neji drank a little too much.

Or more like, I gave a little too much.

I opened my eyes to meet his concerned gaze, smiling unconsciously. "Blood loss," I said, hoping that would explain most of it.

And then I passed out.

* * *

><p><strong>Read it, love it, <strong>**R&R!  
><strong>

**-Miss S  
><strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Happy Holidays! Since I won't have access to a computer over break, I'm putting this up now for you guys to enjoy, just in case you're going on vacation too :)**

**WARNING. It gets a little...sexy in this chapter. If you can't handle it, please just scroll past it. No one's making you read anything you don't want to.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. Even though I really want to.**

* * *

><p>"Tenten," a soothing voice murmured. "You need to get up now. Don't fall asleep in the cold. It's bad for you."<p>

I wanted so badly to listen to the voice, but my eyelids were so heavy. My body wanted to go to sleep again.

"You have to sit up," it encouraged. Something warm and soft touched my face—a hand. It traced over my nose, across my cheekbones, onto my lips where it lingered for a moment before going away.

I let out a breath of annoyance. Why didn't it come back?

"Tenten, please…"

The voice was asking really nicely. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to do what it asked.

I opened my eyes with some unbearable effort, and it was like I was looking into the night sky. The surroundings were dark, but a pair of lavender eyes illuminated the air like two moons.

Dark hair was tickling my cheeks.

Neji's face was hovering over mine. I was so entranced I failed to recognize what we were doing together. He let out a relieved sigh. "Good. You're awake."

I just kept looking at him.

It was so nice to see his face again…

"I was worried you would freeze and never wake up," he confessed. "So I had to wake you from your beauty sleep."

He helped me sit up. We were in a cave of sorts (at least it was clean), and it was snowing gently outside.

And I was so cold I couldn't feel anything. My teeth chattered as the warmth from my sleep wore off. The jacket around my shoulders felt like nothing. Neji's breath fogged in the cold temperatures, making a little wisp like a white dragon.

I curled up as tight as I could. "Did you bring us here?"

He nodded. "I didn't want to risk moving your body too much. As soon as the snow stops, we can leave."

"…Are you…okay?"

Silence greeted me.

I guess he didn't want to answer me.

"Thank you for saving me."

Oh. Embarrassment in the form of a blush rose to my cheeks and I buried my face in my arms. "Nah, don't worry about it. No big deal."

"But it _is_ a 'big deal'. I might have died."

"Well, think of it as repayment for the stupid mission you decided to take just because I said I was sick," I coughed. My nose wasn't running, simply because it was frozen. My lungs were burning up, and my head hurt so badly it felt like it was going to split open.

Neji looked at me, and took a step closer, sitting down besides me. He was cold as well, though slightly warmer than me.

He stripped a piece of clothing off himself and threw it before us, snapping his fingers so a bright orange flame licked at the fabric. Unfortunately, it didn't do too much, and the cave was still cold.

I smiled. "Thanks. Nice try."

"Fuck this cave," he muttered.

I twiddled my thumbs and tried not to look at him. My heart was pounding since we were sitting so close to one another, and my hands were getting clammy. Well, there _was_ another option, but I was too embarrassed to say it. It would make me sound desperate and low, and I wasn't going to risk my reputation for that.

"Strip."

"…Excuse me?"

My heart was beating against my ribcage at his sudden words, and I was only…mildly nervous. I rubbed my hands together and breathed on them, trying to look disinterested. He couldn't have possibly meant what he said.

"You heard me. Strip."

"It's below zero," I snapped, sniffing slightly. "And you want me to strip off my clothes? Are you insane?"

He began taking off his shirt, and I averted my eyes. He frowned. "I'm not insane. We'll do like the animals do, and share our body heat." A mischievous glint found its way into his eyes. With a curl of his lips, his fangs were even more elongated underneath his smirk. "Sounds nice, doesn't it?"

I curled up even tighter. "Absolutely not." I licked my lips, really trying not to look at his chiseled body and pale skin.

And then, his face was up close and personal. Ice-cold fingers were teasing the bottom of my shirt, brushing against the skin of my stomach. I sucked in a breath, surprised, then pushed him away.

But the motion didn't deter him. He was back, arms encircling my waist and running up my back, reaching for the slightest bit of warmth. A feeling of _something_ curled underneath my heart. The skin of his forearms was smooth. The embrace was tight and warmer than I imagined, if not overly intimate. Each breath he exhaled ghosted across my neck, chilling and heating me up at the same time.

My lungs felt like they were being crushed.

Our noses were nearly touching.

I was looking at him.

He was looking at me.

"I'm hungry," he whispered, but we both knew we had crossed the line long ago.

It didn't have anything to do with that anymore.

He pressed his lips against mine.

And I pressed back, huddled body unfurling so I could grasp his shoulders which were radiating with a heat I hadn't anticipated. He took a breath to hiss out: "damn" and then went in for another, pressing his palms flat against my back.

I yearned for more body contact, more warmth to heat up my cold self, and met him half way. I had never initiated the moves before, but now I was running my hands through his hair, down the nape of his neck, over to caress his cheeks. With each kiss, Neji seemed to steal the breath right out of my mouth.

I knew it was more than necessary for him to gain his strength back—heck, I was feeling better than I had been minutes ago, away from the freeze that had curled up in my bones.

"Kiss me," he murmured again when I had broken away for air.

Without another word, I obliged.

I could feel his fangs against my lips nipping gently, drawing the merest drops of blood, then tongue flicking out to seal it back up. I wasn't daring enough to do anything else than let him guide me.

Tentatively, I pressed myself against him so I molded to his body. He gave a sharp intake of breath, akin to a spark in the dry winter air. The wind howled outside, but the snow that should have chilled me melted before it reached us.

Finally, like he had been repressing himself, Neji went for the crook of my enck, brushing the hair away with warm fingers as if he had been waiting forever. I knew what was coming next. First, a hasty lick of his tongue, then the bite of a vampire—long and excruciatingly euphoric. Although my mind was hazy, I could feel my blood pouring out with little trickles, staining my shirt with blossoms of red. He sucked on the wound, sure to leave me only a bruise as a remembrance of the bite. A tongue licked up the rivulets of blood that had escaped him.

"I'm going to bite you again," his whispered through another kiss.

My lips were growing numb from the heat.

With a gentle nudge, his tongue pried my lips apart. I grew panicky and pushed him away, face flustered. "I d-don't know how—"

"Less complaints, more kissing," he growled, leaning in again, pausing slightly to murmur against the corner of my mouth. "I will teach you."

He took his hands off my back to nestle them in my hair, tilting my head slightly. He inhaled against my jawline. "You smell too good."

"Um, thank yo—"

I was rudely cut off my a sudden pull towards him. I was sure my cheeks were flaming red and I looked really disgusting (seriously, I had climbed through a shitload of forest and knocked out a monster…how else would I look?) but none of that mattered.

I was kissing.

Neji.

My teacher.

A vampire.

His tongue slipped in, and the moment it touched mine, I felt like my cheeks got an infinite amount of degrees hotter. Fangs nudged against my lips, as if to tell me it was alright.

My breaths were getting more and more hitched with every motion.

I felt like I was embarrassing him with my lack of knowledge and experience.

I broke away. "Sorry."

He resolved to plant butterfly kisses against my collarbones, which resulted in a sudden loss in ability to breathe. I felt him smirk against my skin. "It was cute."

I wanted a witty retort to throw back at him, but my mind was a befuddled mess, focusing only on each point of contact he made against me.

And then that perfect moment was shattered with a little bemused cough. "My, my. Getting a little risqué here, aren't we?"

I knew that voice too well to miss it.

I broke apart from Neji quickly, eyes shooting to view the intruder. Red heels clicked into the cave interior, dusting off snow with a little click and tap. Her legs were like they always were, tan and bare, and her hair was silver so it blended against the snowy background.

"Vi," Neji hissed, getting up. "What do you want?"

"I've come to take you back, of course. Well, I don't know why you aren't happier to see me—I came to find you in the snowstorm and everything," she pouted, stepping closer. The cold that had disappeared was back again, and I sniffed, wanting a bag of Kleenex more than ever.

"How many times must I tell you? I am not going back," he said determinedly.

Vi's long nails extended so that they pressed against his throat. "Your Uncle knows what you're doing," she scowled, love and adoration gone from her eyes. "You dare betray your clan code? Trying to follow the werewolves' example and turn _human_ for a while? Disgusting." She spat in disrespect, and I felt like punching her so she would fall off the cave cliff and never return.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Neji said stiffly, not wincing from the menacing nails so near to his windpipe.

"They found your scroll, dear," she answered. "You think, that with a few _measly items_ and an _old wife's tale_ that you can reverse your state during the full moon? And above all, I don't even know why you would bother with these carbon life forms. We can live for centuries, and you're giving that up? For what? For _her_?" And with that, she sent me a glare so harsh my insides churned.

"Leave, Vi."

She tossed her hair over her shoulders, retracting her nails for the moment. "Sorry, can't. Part of the job."

And then she attacked, throwing punch after punch against Neji, who was just recovering.

I couldn't do anything.

I just watched, huddled in a little corner, never feeling more worthless in my life.

But then I heard something snap, followed by a huge hiss of pain. And Neji was on the ground, clutching at his hand, Vi's heeled feet _so close_ to his fingers.

"Just come back," she crooned, squatting down to stroke his head. He snapped away from her, fingers dancing with sparks. "Ooh, scary," she laughed. "Admit it—you're low on power. _You can't defeat_ _me in this state_. Oh, I never thought the day would come when the pure blood of the Hyuuga clan would be tainted by someone like you."

And suddenly, I wasn't even thinking anymore. I threw the thin piece of fabric Neji had placed on me moments before at Vi's face, and she was blinded for a moment. I took that instant to pounce on her, holding my fists like my dad had taught me, and punching her hard across the check. Something crunched beneath my fingers.

"Bitch!" she screamed, pushing me hard with her hands so that I slammed against rock. I saw a bit of blood hit the ground. But I was pumping with adrenaline, the pain dulled to a throb and I was against her again, taking the knife I had brought with me and throwing it dead center at her—

The blade thudded deep into the rock, fixing itself in a crack in the cave wall, effectively pinning Vi's shirt to it. And the fabric, plastic and unbendable, would not rip. She tried tugging on the knife, but then Neji was standing up, mumbling words under his breath.

Bands of magenta curled around her wrists, like chains. Then bolts of yellow electricity pinned them down, imbedding themselves deep into the rock so that she could not escape.

Vi's face was livid as she struggled against her bonds. But it was to no avail. The blue fire out of her hands, her voice as she attempted to convince Neji to free her, every piece of magic she tried refused to work.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, eyes wild.

Chains snapped around her ankles as well.

Neji's eyes were narrowed and focused, and his fingers finally swiped once into the air to finish whatever spell he had said.

"Let's go," he panted, casting one final look at the struggling Vi. "We're getting out of here."

He stole a quick kiss to my surprise, and then his black, torn-fabric-like wings sprouted from his back. With a gentle tug, he lifted me into his arms. His legs took a runner's stance and then he left with a sprint, spreading his wings against the storming winter air.

From behind us, Vi howled with anger.

* * *

><p>We took a quick stop so he could dimension rip, and then we were back in Jiraiya's house.<p>

And then Neji was in for some major questioning. I had held everthing on the way back, the silence between us deafening despite the prowling winds.

There were so many things I wanted to ask. What ritual was he doing? Why hadn't he told me? We kissed, did that mean he liked me? Or that I liked him? And was Vi ever going to come back?

He gave me a smirk. "Later. I'll tell you later."

"But I didn't even say anything yet," I protested.

He rolled his eyes. "Please. Questions are written all over your face. Wait till tomorrow. The full moon is in three days, and we've wasted enough time as is—but most of everything is ready. We're all good, we're all good." He seemed to be saying this as if to reassure himself.

And then to his surprise, I hugged him, never feeling more grateful for the fact that he was alive and not dead in some remote area of Dearth.

"Hey," I murmured, pressing my face against the wet, cold, fabric of his shirt, "After this we can go home, right? I can see everyone again?"

"Home," he muttered. "Well, if that's what you call it, yes."

* * *

><p>When I woke up the next morning, my body was aching beyond belief. Something smelled nice and edible in the kitchen, and my tummy was rumbling like it hadn't eaten in <em>ever<em>. Which was true.

And Neji was _cooking_.

That was enough motivation to get me out of bed despite my sore limbs. I was feeling really good, which must have meant Neji took his fair share of kisses before I woke up. And that fact, in itself, was mildly disappointing.

I chose not to mention it though.

"Whatcha making?" I inquired, stepping into the kitchen.

"Hopefully something that won't make be barf," he muttered, shaking something that looked really suspicious into the mixture.

But I hadn't forgotten anything. He still owed me answers. So once the misshapen food was in front of me and I had taken a tentative bite (at least it tasted safe), I began asking.

And like he promised, he told me everything.

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><p><strong>I'll be out for a while, enjoy this early chapter. I haven't got much else written yet, but let me tell you-the end is near.<strong>

**And I know this is a tad shorter than the rest have been, but hopefully the lovey interaction makes up for what length I lack.**

**R&R! Enjoy your holidays!  
><strong>

**-Miss S  
><strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**I know. I know. You were waiting and waiting and waiting.**

**Aishhhh it's my fault, I know. But this fic is almost done, and it needs to be wrapped up nicely. So I churned this out today, hoping that I will make some of you joyful. :)**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is only mine in my dreams.**

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><p>From the information that was relayed to me, I figured out three important things.<p>

One:

Neji's collection of odd objects and putting us in life threatening danger when we were in Dearth was so he could "do what the werewolves do". And what was that? Turning human. The grocery list of items he needed came from a scroll ("forbidden, of course, but stealing it was just too easy"), and required that he finish it by the full moon.

Because, as all dumb mortals like me know (Neji was rubbing this in my face for the longest time), the moon has _tons_ of spiritual energy and whatnot to change the molecular composition of his species with a few given ingredients.

Yipee.

Two:

Neji's decision was upsetting his clan.

"Well, you didn't really need to tell me that one," I scoffed. "Not like sending monsters after us, and hiring the Witches to hunt us down was _any_ indication."

"I don't need your sarcasm," he snapped. "Do you want to know or insult my intelligence? Choose."

I chose the former, but it really was hard to decide.

Anyways. Continuing; he was kind of the leader of the vampires, next in line—you know, how the mafia does it.

That was a pretty accurate comparison: a vampire group was about the same as the mafia. And he would be putting the whole clan to shame by lowering his status. So they either had to eliminate him or take him back by force. Both, which I may point out, failed miserably.

However, once he turned human—here's the clincher—he would lose his immortality, wings, powers—everything, only left with a permanent human lifespan.

Of course, once the full moon came back out, viola—everything he gave up would come back, but only for that short 24 hour period. Everything, including the insane desire to suck blood out of innocent bystanders.

"The moon," he professed, "Is keeper of all things magical. The time of the full moon is a night that does not obey the laws of anything you could imagine, it is a time where places switch and people revert."

"I hate how you teach literature and English. Just because you're _old_ doesn't mean you can rub your eternal wisdom in my face."

And finally, three:

Neji was an idiot.

"So, why are you doing this?" I asked when he was done explaining. He didn't hear me, and put his dishes in the sink.

"Uh, Neji?" I tried again, "Why are you turning human again? I mean, you're letting go of a _lot_ of really cool stuff, like the power to fly and dimension rip. Is it really worth it?"

Once again, he didn't turn around.

"There's a reason I didn't answer you the first time. It's because I didn't want to. And I'm not going to answer this time either, so we're dropping the subject," he said, slightly miffed.

So the silence wasn't a loss of hearing, but being a jerk wad and ignoring me.

Okay, I could fight that.

"Why am I not allowed to know? I mean, _I was dragged into your little mess in the first place_."

"You," he said harshly, "Are the reason this hell of a mess happened!"

That stung, but I tried not to show it. Yet, my voice rose higher in pitch anyways, showcasing my offended and hurt mentality. "I tried to make it up for you—I mean, I saved your butt from death and everything! What more can I do?"

I was hoping he would turn back into the joking, sarcastic teacher I knew, but he didn't.

Instead, he only replied in a cold voice. "You can start by stop being a dense, dense little college girl."

I had enough.

"You're the idiot here!" I shouted. Well, you couldn't blame me—I couldn't think of any better retorts at the moment. I may have been proving his point about being dense, but that was understandable. His words had damaged the "make-up-good-comebacks" part of my brain. And I was pissed, simply because he had once again shown me the part of him I hated so much. The part that refused to let anyone close to him, because he was such a pansy.

The world was out to get me.

"Your childish, stupidly innocent nature," he hissed, "Is annoying beyond belief. Sometimes, I wonder if you can even see reality."

...You know that clenching feeling you get in your chest when you can't believe what you just heard? I got that. And that feeling triggered a whole bunch of other crap, including sweaty palms, an intense desire to run, and rapidly swelling eyes. I blinked rapidly, waiting for him to end the awful silence that had blanketed over us.

Minutes ago, we had been talking, and now we were fighting.

Why did he have to be such an asshole?

I had just asked a question. I just…wanted to know _why_. And then he had retaliated, and me, being stubborn, I had pushed it. And now we were in a really uncomfortable situation.

I swallowed, looking at my feet, mentally willing the tears of hurt not to fall.

It's a feeling like no other when the guy you kind-of-might-be-attracted-to demeans you like that. He knew just what to say to make me feel the greatest amount of pain.

I cursed him for it.

The silence sat, weighing the air down like a rock. Finally, he took initiative and finished his thought. "But…that stupid innocence is partially why I like you."

...

...

What?

_Partially why I _like_ you_.

* * *

><p>Oh.<p>

OH.

I barely had time to blink, barely had a moment to _comprehend_ before he was in front of me, snagging my chin with firm fingers and tilting my head up and kissing me.

"That makes it…how many times we've kissed now?" he asked, breath ghosting on my skin after he broke apart.

"Uh…" I answered intelligently.

He smirked. "Think about that for a minute, why don't you."

Then he pressed his lips against mine again, briefly—just enough to make me lean forward for more—and then Neji chuckled and gently pushed me off. "Eager today, aren't we?"

I opened my mouth, face red from denial, but I knew I would only be lying to myself if I said I didn't enjoy kissing him. Because now, he was the only one I could envision doing anything with.

Neji Hyuuga had easily slipped into my life and stayed there.

I looked at him with what I hoped was a pouty look. I probably looked like a puking fish. "Can I…um…"

"Hm?" he asked, raising an eyebrow smugly. "What is it that you want?"

I took a step closer to him, stunned at my own outgoing-ness, stood up on my tiptoes and clenched the fabric of his shirt. There it was again—the scent that was Neji's, and his only: a brief whiff of summer citrus and laundry. Before I lost my courage, I quickly held my mouth to his, only a light amount of contact. Then I looked away, suddenly shy (I was Tenten. I didn't _get _shy) and took another step back, slightly letting the question hang in the air.

He answered it without a moment's hesitation. "Now that you mention it, I have been craving you for a while. I know you've just got up, and I took your blood yesterday, but…"

I bit the inside of my cheek. His low voice was something I could listen to forever, and it was doing really weird things to my heart.

Neji's arm snaked itself around my waist, and he smirked into his favorite spot: the crook between my left ear and the beginnings of my shoulder.

It was no less embarrassing or humiliating than the first time he bit me, so I could instantly feel my face heat up to unimaginable proportions. He let out a little laugh at the sudden increase in temperature, fingers teasing under the hem of my shirt. The skin they brushed against tingled and sent a rush of adrenaline down my spine, making me hyper aware of everything.

Neji let out a whisper, his warm breath fanning across the air. "Perfect."

Oh, that was right—adrenaline was supposed to—

He was leaving a hickey on my neck. Thoughts could come later.

The place his mouth was on got mildly numb, and then his teeth were under my skin again, breaking flesh and releasing blood that trickled down and over my collarbones. With a gentle tug, he pulled my hair to the side, exposing my neck for better access. He lapped up every trickle of blood that came out, sucking softly for a bit more.

But this time, he wasn't done with just one bite. He had taken only a little out from the first incision, quickly licking the spot to seal it back up.

Neji pulled back to look at me and gave a superior grin, tongue swiping across his lips, then over his teeth to get the blood off. "Your taste never changes."

"Neither does your extremely sexual way of getting blood," I muttered, "Choose a different way."

But inwardly, I knew that no matter which way he got my blood, it would end up the same: me as a hopeless puddle on the ground, and him laughing because his sex appeal was nothing to scoff at.

"You want me to suck a different place?" he murmured, looking at me with hazy eyes. "Kinky."

I swallowed the spit that had been welling in my mouth. "Is everything sexual to you?"

He opened his mouth, and I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was going to say.

Just to smite him, I pushed him away when he tried to get closer. "You don't get anymore, you selfish beanbag. Go away. Last meal for you, since the full moon is two days away."

A light bulb flashed over his head. "It probably _is_ my last meal, isn't it? Well, before the transformation anyways. We should commemorate this instead, don't you think? Because the journey…we'll be too busy fighting off my clan to do this the _right way_."

The right way consisted of me getting really hot and bothered.

"Or," I said simply, turning on my heels and walking away, "We _could_ stop and get ready for your little expedition. We _could_ visit Tsunade and get some energy back, we _could_ come up with a few plans just in case—but you know, these are all suggestions. I have no real say in any of this, but the whole 'staying alive' idea really appeals to me."

He mulled over it for a second, contemplating in his seat. I raised an eyebrow. "Time's a ticking away…hurry up, before we all grow old, shrivel up and die."

It really wasn't a hard decision. A plan succeeding versus sucking up blood (even though he didn't really need it)…oh, difficult. Choices, choices.

"Not to mention," I said out loud, "I kind of have to get back to Earth soon. We've been out here for _quite some time_—"

"—Okay, okay, I get it—do you have no patience at all?" he sighed, as if he were lecturing a child. "We'll follow all of your…_kind_ recommendations. On one condition. And I promise it will be the last one."

I held out my pinky, looking at him suspiciously. "Promise?"

He looked at my outstretched finger. "I promise, but I'm not doing something as childish as a pinky swear. How old are you again? Three? Twelve?"

"Yeah, yeah, complain, sulk," I scowled. "But this is serious. I have no intention of being pulled off on another adventure; to my death I might add, so the least you could do is promise me that you'll listen to me so we have less of a chance of getting killed."

Neji reluctantly wound his pinky against mine, his fingers somehow cool, yet radiating warmth. He was about to pull away before I stopped him. "You have to bite your thumb."

"My what?"

"Your thumb, your _thumb_. To seal the deal."

He was fuming (I thought it was funny), but he did it anyways, leaning forward and biting his thumb the same time I bit mine, eyes locking with me the entire time. Our faces were separated by only the length of two clenched hands.

I never truly appreciated his good looks till I saw him so up close. His eyelashes were long, his eyes mysterious, and face flawless.

I broke away to whisper: "My god, you're good looking."

…That was not supposed to come out.

I quickly cleared my throat and wiped the spit from my thumb onto my pants. "Ok, never mind what I just said. You promised, I accept it, and the condition is…?"

He looked strangely satisfied at my remark and casually leaned back in his chair. His legs, long, were spread and stretched out.

I had a bad feeling about his next words.

And usually, the bad feelings I got were right.

"Tenten, come here."

Slowly, I walked toward Neji. The tension on his request was palpable, forcing the adrenaline coursing through my veins to speed up like a sugar rush. It was set with a sense of anticipation and a bit of fear about the unknown.

I stopped in front of him, a foot or two away from his sitting figure.

"Closer," he drawled, lounging with his arms draped across the back of the chair.

I was now standing between his legs.

"Kneel on the chair."

Oh dear.

I put one knee on the cold surface, then the other, so I was positioned right on top of him, both of us sharing the seat. His face was lined up with my waist.

A smirk was worming its way onto his lips when he looked up at me. "Put your hands on my shoulders, please." The honey sweet way he said the phrase told me that something outrageous was coming up next—something I should be aware of, something I should test the waters with—

But instead, I just gulped and followed his directions, letting the palms of my hands ease onto his shoulders.

"Good."

His words came out as a short, appreciative whisper.

"Now, you just stay there. Don't move. That is my condition."

…Well, that was easy enough. If that was all he was asking for, then hell, it would be a piece of cake. Outside of the fact that our close placed position was slightly promiscuous, it wouldn't be hard to tolerate at all.

Curse my naïve, innocent and slightly air headed mind.

Of course that wasn't all he had planned.

He was Neji.

A jerk.

A sadistic jerk.

It should have come as no surprise when his hands were suddenly lifting up my shirt, sneaking under the fabric to touch my skin. I shuddered, and then he was laughing quietly: "Can't move…"

I clenched my fingers down onto his shoulder blades as retaliation, feeling his hands caress the small of my back, down the plane of my stomach, up the sides and lingering at the curve of my hip. All the while, my shirt was riding up, and up, and up—until my undergarments were almost exposed.

And then he stopped.

Right.

There.

I let out a sigh of relief. There was no doubt that my face wasn't lobster red, but it was better than Neji discovering my complete lack of a chest.

"What are you doing?" I managed to squeeze out.

"Finding a new place," he answered. And without warning, his mouth found its way to my ribcage, nipping lightly.

Words stuck in my throat. There was a quick lick, a spreading sensation of numbness, but before the spot was completely numb he already broke the skin. So I was very, _very_ aware of his fangs breaking skin, a shallow bite of a vampire on my torso. His lips were right over the punctured spot, preventing blood from flowing anywhere but his mouth.

A fire was spreading everywhere. I pushed down on his shoulders in protest, wanted to do something—but it my body refused to move, preferring to enjoy the pleasure rather than escape from the pain.

"It hurts," I hissed, a little lightheaded.

His lips curled into a wry smile against my ribs, tongue escaping for the briefest moment to trace the outline of the bone. I drew in my breath. "Sorry," he answered, not sounding sorry at all, "I'll fix it for you."

He licked the spot in the most sensual way (what did I tell you? Everything he did always ended up like that), and the place quickly finished numbing itself. I let out a gasping sigh, the breath rasping out my vocal chords.

It sounded so needy that I hated myself for doing it. Was there no way for him to stop his endless torture?

And for me to stop enjoying it like a sex-craved person?

He wasn't leaving the area alone—rather, almost attached to it in a way, determined to trace out the surrounding areas with his mouth. Like he didn't have eyes or hands to do that for him.

Well, his hands were otherwise preoccupied, rubbing circles on my back, massaging places that felt so _nice_ I didn't want him to stop any time soon. Without knowing it, I was already relaxing to his touch, eyes fluttering shut to just…

Warm puffs of air escaped from his lips, spreading goose bumps across my exposed flesh.

I tensed.

This was not good.

Not good at all.

I mumbled, "Are you done yet?" I saw his throat constrict in a swallowing motion, and I unconsciously did the same.

"One sec."

And then, like he was taking his time; savoring the moment, he kissed my wound, sliding his tongue against smoothly, softly, until the skin stitched itself back together and I was as good as new.

In a swift gesture, he rose up, nearly toppling me off my perch, but holding me steady with his remaining arm. Neji smirked, seeming to enjoy my slightly panicked expression before initiating lip-to-lip contact, and I tasted metal on his tongue.

He had this way of making my hormones rise to unprecedented proportions.

"I'm done now," he said sweetly, with a hint of demonic laughter under the surface. I knew what he was thinking—that the memory would stay with me forever. That, based on his one move of affection, I was putty in his hands, unable to look or pay attention to anyone other than him.

I wanted to rip that arrogant smirk off his face. To tell him, like I would have done months ago, that he was a stupid, cold, awful person, who only served to answer to his sexual desires. That: _hell no_, I was not attracted to him, that I didn't like him, that he could go elicit moans and groans and pitiful whimpers to some whore down the street.

But I would be lying.

And he was right on all the levels I knew he was thinking.

Because I was irrevocably, most definitely in love with Neji Hyuuga.

…Damn.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally, right? Tenten, Tenten, you've finally gotten over your denial. Only took you fifteen chapters. :)<strong>

**Read and review and critique appropriately :)**

**I wuv you all. **


	17. Chapter 17

**AP is coming up. Week of H-E-double toothpicks.  
><strong>Catch the 242th review for some one-shot request goodness :)<strong>  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is only mine in my dreams.**

* * *

><p>The time passed quicker than I thought it would. After a day or two of planning and staying cooped up in Jiraiya's home, it was time to move. Time to you know, leave the place to some remote city clock tower and turn a vampire into a half-human. No biggie.<p>

I was feeling more nervous than Neji was, double-checking and rechecking our plans.

We had quite a few: Plan A, Plan B, Plan B2, and Plan X. All of the plans were for possible things that could happen; all of which involved me potentially dying and Neji failing at his mission. It was a really bright prospect.

My sarcasm is so obvious you can taste it.

For starters, Plan A was the one we hoped would succeed, the easiest one where no-one got in our way, and we pulled off the spell with flying colors. Unlikely to happen, but hey, we could hope right?

Plan B was the most likely one. I won't give away too much, but let's just say it involved the police.

Plan B2 was the slightly worse version of Plan B. It involved not only the police, but the Witches Association, and possibly Vi who we heard broke out of her prison hole not too long ago and was on a rampage in Dearth, ripping up houses and blowing up fruit stands.

And Plan X? You just don't want to know.

Neji was carefully placing each ingredient into a little bag. With a snap of his fingers, the bag folded itself into a 2D paper note, and then into nothingness.

I raised an eyebrow. "Neat trick."

He waggled his eyebrows back, a feat I had a difficult time accomplishing. "Comes with being a magical creature with an incredibly long life span. You should try it sometime."

"If I could, I would—honest."

He let out a low chuckle and shook his head slightly. "Uh huh." There was a pause, and then more seriously: "You ready?"

I nodded and hitched a bag onto my shoulders. "Now or never, right?"

With eyes more piercing than I had ever seen them, he looked right through me, grabbing my shoulder gently. I was stopped from walking out the door. Puzzled, I turned back to him. "You don't have to come with me, you know," he whispered. "I _could_ send you back. Just do some fancy dimension ripping right now and—"

So that was it. Angrily, I shoved his arm off my shoulder. "If you think about leaving me here, and taking on this stupid task by yourself, I swear—I will kick you where it hurts. Repeatedly. You have dragged me _way_ too far into your little mess for me to call it quits now, understand…_Hyuuga sensei_?"

He winced. "Don't call me that."

"Then stop arguing with me," I said simply. "I know you think: 'oh Tenten, such a little Asian girl with skinny wrists and no magical power, I've got to protect her;' but most other humans would have died already when we were item gathering. I'm a survivor. And I finally know how your world works, after being stuck here for who knows how long. So suck it up."

Neji put up his hands in defense, an easy grin making its way onto his face. I smiled back, because I knew that I had _finally _won a battle and he had given in. "Alright, alright, you made enough sense to convince me. Let's head out—stop by Tsunade-sama's place first to stock up on some power. You know the drill."

I rolled my shoulders and pushed open the door. "Let's get cracking."

* * *

><p>The path to Tsunade's office was not an easy one. The Clan must have sent out a mass text to the police or something, because the ugly monsters were lurking at every corner, constantly sniffing the air and prowling the streets. Maneuvering to the tall building for a magic refill was like trying to hopscotch through a minefield while balancing a plate of avocados on your head. It was hard.<p>

Luckily, Neji was pulling off stunt after stunt—masking our scents and also draping cloaks around our shoulders so we blended in more. He was okay with using some of his powers for now; since everything would be restocked in no time. I refused to make eye contact with anyone in Dearth, lest we be recognized.

After a grueling hour (my heart was ramming so hard in my chest I thought everyone could hear it) we stepped through the sliding doors and into the building. Instantly, the tension in my arms lessened, and I took a large gulp of air to calm my nerves. Neji immediately went up to the desk to ask for Tsunade. The busty blonde appeared not soon after, and ushered us to a room in the back.

"They'll have my head for this," she scowled, rolling up her sleeves. "And outsiders aren't supposed to watch, but I'll make an exception this time. Hurry up—I don't want those monsters around as much as you do."

I took a seat near the doorway, watching intently as Neji took off his shirt, revealing a flawless back and a very well defined middle section. Tsunade, to my jealousy, placed her hands on his shoulder blades, hands emitting a sea green glow. The energy seemed to sink into his skin, and Neji visibly relaxed.

"You're like a freaking empty vessel," she grumbled.

"I used a bit when we got here," he explained.

"A bit? Like…half your magical supply?"

"Sorry, I haven't refilled in a while."

She scoffed. "Don't even try to pull that with me—your face was all over the news after Vi told her story. Really…pulling off that kind of magic and then flying with those stupid wings of yours—I'm surprised you aren't a little husk by now."

Suddenly, I saw her shoulders tense.

I looked around for any disturbances, but I found none. Neji was also looking around warily, like they were both able to sense something my human senses couldn't.

"They're here," Tsunade said grimly. "Let me notify the staff—"

Without warning, Imura burst through the doors, out of breath, eyes wild. "You're healing that refuge here?" he roared, voice cracking slightly on the last word.

Tsunade glared at him and quickly shut the door. "You want them to find him this quick? No? Then shut your trap."

"What—" the man spluttered, finally taking a heavy breath and taking one hand to slick his hair back. "Albright. You've practically put this entire establishment in danger with that action, you understand?"

Tsunade's gaze did not waver as she replied with a strong voice; "This man can change things. He'll be starting a revolution. I will do whatever I can to assist him, as well as the other people that come to this building. That is our duty."

Imura sighed, clicking his tongue for a while before gritting his teeth slightly. "I will inform the staff to take their posts, and put up wards for the customer areas. Continue with your refill."

She let out a slight smile. "Thank you."

Imura let out a curt nod and left the room in a flourish, writing strange red patterns in the air, and letting out a bellowing voice so loud it shook the walls.

"He's not a bad guy," I said, scuffing my feet on the floor.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "This is one of his better days." Once more, her hands resumed their green aura, and with a sudden force, she pressed them harder against Neji's back. He hissed at the sudden change in energy. "I can't absorb it that fast—"

"Consequences have changed," Tsunade said urgently. "The police are here, and we don't have much time. If you want to be at peak condition—and trust me, you'll need to be if you want a chance in hell to finish this on time—you just sit tight and shut your mouth."

Surprisingly, he didn't say anything back and followed her orders.

I frowned.

He never listened that well to _me_.

I could hear commotion in the background, which wasn't hid that well from the thin walls. Lots of chaos sounding echoes, smashed rubble, roars, and angry yelling.

I gulped.

We had made more inconveniences again.

With a grunt, Tsunade forced so much energy into Neji that he let out a choking noise and spasm, back shuddering with the force and impact. An instant later, the door to our room was blasted off its hinges, splintering with flames on the floor. I looked up, and three relatively angry, furry looking monsters were standing there with pistols.

Great. Give the mobs the guns—that will solve the problem.

With a roar, they charged in, aiming for Neji. I quickly backed off to the side—if they got both of us, we were done for. I wasn't sure if he was done getting his magic refilled, but he looked ill from the sudden input, face sweaty and pale. I was about to rush to his aid (with what weapon I don't really know, love makes you do dumb things), but Tsunade was already taking a stand.

"Oi!" she barked, mouth curling distastefully at the corner. "What do you think you dumbasses are doing, charging into a facility like this? Have you no shame?"

"Move aside woman," the police hissed. "This doesn't concern you. Give us the Hyuuga, and we'll leave—"

He was cut short and blasted into the wall by a flick from Tsunade. The other monsters looked scared for a moment, seeing their comrade groaning in pain from the other end of the hallway.

"This doesn't concern me? _This doesn't concern me?_ I have a patient on my hands, and I am sure as _hell_ not going to let you lay a hand on him." The moment she finished her sentence, the other two monsters were punched clear through the cement tiles and into the flooring below.

She turned to me with strong eyes, hauling Neji onto her shoulder with no apparent difficulty. "Get him out of here," she ordered, totally forgetting the fact that I could hardly carry someone like him. "I charged him up to his full capacity, but you'd better protect him until he absorbs it all."

She threw Neji's body at me and I caught him though the wind was almost knocked out of me. After Tsunade affirmed that I was not unconscious, she tossed me another item.

A pack of knives.

I looked at the package, confused, but she gave me a motherly smile (the first I had ever seen grace her expression), and said, "You look like you'll need it." After uttering those words, she jumped down into the hole she had made, dealing roundhouse kicks and punches that knocked down the offending policemen like bowling pins.

With strength that I didn't even know I had, I pulled Neji's sick body so that he leaned against my side. "Come on," I urged, shaking him slightly. "We've got to get out of here."

He didn't respond.

His head was hot, and I mentally cursed Tsunade for injecting him with so much in such a short time span.

It was a difficult and long journey, but I ended up carrying him out of the building where a war was raging within. Tsunade seemed to have informed everyone correctly, for each moment a monster would catch sight of us, someone on our side would attack it to keep it at bay.

I took him to an alleyway behind the building and set him up against the wall. I stole a small kiss to curb my hunger, and then waited. Sure enough, after a few minutes he opened his eyes groggily and pushed himself up. I thrust his shirt at him, which I had picked up before we left. "Put that on, we've got to move."

He nodded once and gestured for me to come over. "We're flying out of here to the tower. We've got no time to waste."

He gathered me into his arms and I held onto his neck tightly as he spread his bat-like wings. "No time for a cover spell. We just fly."

And fly we did—so fast that the wind rippled my cheeks and my nose began to run—but it was a smart choice, as the police couldn't keep up with our speed and their pistol shots rang uselessly in the distance.

Then we smacked into an invisible wall.

Neji's face was priceless. If we hadn't been in mortal danger it would have been comical, but given the circumstances I decided against laughing at him.

"What the…" he muttered, lowering us so he could inspect the space better. After setting me down he knocked, and sure enough the air in front of us rippled, though solid.

I touched it too, pushed my shoulders against it, kicked it (and stubbed my toe) but sure enough, it didn't budge in the slightest.

Neji swore. "They put it in a different dimension?"

Well, wasn't that just on the top list of things that we didn't want happening.

"Why, yes we did. How…_nice_ of you to notice. We were expecting you."

Scratch that.

_This_ was what we didn't want.

As if she was a chameleon waiting in hiding, Vi materialized out of a space to our right, looking more evil than ever, a smile on her face so sweet it would have rotted a Twinkie. "Nice to see you Neji dear and idiotic sidekick. Now greetings aside, Witches Association has deemed you kind of a…threat to our society. You haven't really been putting yourselves in a good light, which is a shame…not to mention, I'm not really too keen on forgiving you two from keeping me in that cave. That wasn't sweet, not sweet at all…"

"What do you want from us, Vi?" Neji asked voice low.

She laughed, a high-pitched sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. "We've set up a Pentagon for your clock tower space. If you want to reach the full moon on time, you've got to break the dimension barrier, and given your current magical capacity, I'd say you could—though then completing your mission could prove to be difficult later on. Want to give it a try?"

"Plan B2."

I nodded, and without a moment's thought, rushed towards Vi. She seemed so surprised at my sudden movement that she had no time to retaliate, and I successfully punched her straight in the face.

Damn that felt good.

Her eyes were blazing with anger as she got up, quickly waving a hand across her face and fixing her broken nose. She spat on the ground, leaving bloody saliva in the spot, and rolled up her sleeves. "You've done it now, you wretch…_sit._"

After hearing her voice, my bottom decided it liked the ground very much, and I made contact with the earth.

Neji's voice carried a note of warning. "Stop it Vi."

"_Stay still, Tenten. Hold a weapon to your throat. _Neji, dear—now's not the time to be making demands. Your little pet's life is in my hands."

With trembling fingers, I was opening the package Tsunade gave me and holding a knife to my own throat. The worst was, I was completely aware of what I was doing—yet unable to control my actions. I could only watch on, helpless, as Neji and Vi were caught in their standoff.

"It'll just take a single word," Vi cooed, "I just have to order her to slice, and then her little mortal life will be out like a light. But Neji honey, you can change that…all you have to do is willingly decide to come with me, and everything will be okay. So, how about it? Her life for your surrender. Not a bad deal if I say so myself…"

Plan B2. It relied on my ability to fight Vi's mesmerizing power, and right now, it wasn't going too well. But I remembered what Neji had told me—that once I broke her first hold on me, it would be hard for her to control me again.

I fought with all my will, thinking of the people who were waiting for me back home.

My parents.

My friends.

Sakura, Hinata, Ino.

Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke.

Coffee breaks at S.S.

Showing Karin who was boss.

Lectures with the teacher who I had fallen for.

…I was not about to let a bitchy witch take all the things I cherished away from me.

I resisted her will with mine, feeling the invisible string holding the knife up start to grow slack. I still held the position, not making eye contact with anything other than the ground, praying and _praying_ she didn't feel my escape and her hold slowly loosening. And finally, the string was cut, and I was in control again. From the arrogant way she was talking, I could tell that she hadn't noticed a thing.

Neji however, was watching me from the corner of his eye. I blinked twice in succession to let him know I was okay.

He gave a smirk that showed off his fangs quite nicely, which elicited a snarky remark from Vi: "You think this is fun—"

Her last words were knocked out of her along with the rest of her breath as Neji gave her a blow to the stomach. She tumbled to the ground, coughing, eyes narrowed in slits.

"You asked for it," she hissed. Her voice, layered in power, ordered me to slice my own throat. But by then, it was too late.

The sudden look of realization destroyed whatever beauty she had left, eyes wide in hysteria, screaming, _screaming_ for all the witches to come and help, to catch us, to do "something, godammit!" but no one was around to hear her.

As her pleas went unanswered, her eyes were darting between us and the ground between us, calculating, always, always thinking of how to make the best of the situation. And the only option left for her was to fight by herself, the lone stander.

The moment that thought reached her, Vi looked wild, manic almost, her white hair now in disarray, her blood red nails elongating into claws.

So, point proven, she was creepy, monster-like, and it was totally okay that I was so scared I almost passed out.

Neji was hissing a mile a minute, "we don't have time for this," but nothing was registering. I couldn't have listened to him if I tried, and it totally wasn't on purpose—all I could hear was the blood in my ears and the adrenaline in my veins.

Since the start, Vi always had that effect on me, as much as I hated it.

And it was the worst time to fall prey to that.

My knees buckled.

Her laugh permeated the air and rang through my head: "Can't handle the sudden power release, can you sweetie?"

And then everything that followed was a blur—screams, roars, flying dirt and lights so bright that I may have been blinded—Neji's hands grabbing my waist and throwing me across the forest, something cracking, lots of pain.

Something warm going down my throat.

Something sweet against my lips.

Moving, moving…one area to the next, witches falling down like they were paralyzed, and finally Neji was stepping through the wall with my body in his arms, black fabric, torn and fluttering, blossoming from between his shoulder blades.

After that, I only saw sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Give it...two more chapters?<strong><br>This story is almost done. Are you sad? **Are you upset because you liked this a lot, and now it's almost over?** **Haha, don't be.**

**Read and review. The journey is coming to an end.**


	18. Chapter 18

****Illogical is over 100 pages.**  
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**** WOW. It seems like only yesterday I was writing this...  
><strong>**

****As usual, sorry for the long wait. I hope this one is worth it.  
><strong>**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is only mine in my dreams.**

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><p>"Unghhh…"<p>

My eyelids felt like rocks. My throat burned for water.

Is that how one usually feels when they wake up after passing out?

Something warm was against my lips. I hesitantly welcomed it, pressing back softly. I felt liquid trickling down my throat, and I wasn't thirsty anymore…someone had obviously sensed my discomfort.

I finally opened my eyes with some difficulty, and Neji's face was in front of mine.

"Good morning," he said, wiping whatever stuff he had on his mouth off. "I hope you are not too displeased with the literal exchange of fluids you just received."

I couldn't do this in the morning.

I groaned, flushing bright red. "No, it was okay…"

I suddenly looked around, startled. Vi…where was she? The last thing I remembered was Neji battling it out with the white haired witch…I got up, and blood rushed to my head but I tried to ignore it. I looked at our surroundings, trying to make sense of what I saw.

The buildings, emitting light unlike Dearth's dark glows, trees not barren, but full of life, a dark night sky with only one moon, and streetlamps dotting the sidewalks, people paying no heed to anyone but themselves…

A city, with LED lights and screens, bustling with the life of night time.

…We were back home.

I was back on Earth.

The sense of relief and safety overwhelmed me, and I nearly collapsed again.

Something wet was prickling in my eyes. I was such a baby. But that's what home does to people, right?

After welling up in the moment, and finally gathering myself together, I asked Neji tentatively, "So, you did it? We're done?"

My hope was shot down immediately.

Neji shook his head. "We've got to complete it here. Witches Association put up the barrier, and beyond it was your world. We're not in your hometown campus exactly, but we're probably in the most densely populated magical location on Earth. If you haven't noticed by now…we're in Tokyo. And that," he pointed at a large, rising tower in the horizon, "Is our destination."

I blinked, then swore. "We're going up to Tokyo Tower? Are you freaking out of your mind?"

"Highest point in this place," he grinned. Then his face grew serious. "This is where you're putting your life on the line. I've got the ingredients with me, and the moon is almost full. You can back out if you want to, I'll come back and get you when it's over."

I debated punching him for a moment.

How many times did I need to repeat myself? I was going to be _fine_. I could take care of myself, I wasn't weak by any means and I just wanted to support him.

That was _it_.

Then I pondered it for a little more and came to the simple conclusion that Neji was just nervous and a little (ok, quite a bit) fearful for my safety.

And that was kind of cute.

So I sighed. "Neji, as much as I appreciate the concern, I'll be fine." I shot him one of my most dazzling smiles. "So, please? Take me with you?"

In the dark of the night, I saw a little red tinged his ears. A raspy "fine" exited his lips, and he quickly gathered my up in his arms. He squeezed me tight, for once not targeting my neck, and just stayed like that, breathing in deeply.

My hand slowly rose to stroke his hair. It was soft, despite all the mess we had just gone through. "Neji?" I asked softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he breathed, hugging me just a little tighter. "Just…let me stay like this for a minute."

I smiled, unaccustomed to the sudden change, but not totally against it. "Sure."

After a while, like he promised, he broke apart and the moment was over—he quickly stole a kiss—"hey!"—and smirked mischievously. "For good luck," he explained, and picked me up quickly, taking flight.

I almost punched him. "What are you _doing_? People will see!"

He scoffed. "This is Tokyo. It's _normal_."

Well, couldn't argue against that.

I looked up, judging the moon. It was almost full—Neji had to hurry.

* * *

><p>We must have flown pretty fast, because we reached the tower in hardly any time at all. But once again, there was a barrier set up, thwarting our entrance from the skies.<p>

Neji growled low in his throat. "They never get tired of this, do they?"

We descended, because there was an opening—on the ground. They wanted us to take the long way up, I guess. Neji didn't put his wings away. "Do they seriously think I'm going to walk up these little human steps?"

He pushed me through the barrier opening, and totally disregarding the "closed" sign, he barged in anyways, picked me up again, and flew up the stairs.

"Idiots," he grumbled.

I judged our distance up.

"Stop Neji," I ordered, and he gave me a look that clearly said something was wrong with me.

"Set me down," I ordered again, and he slowly set me down on some stairs.

"What's the big idea?"

I reached for the knives Tsunade gave me and slashed my wrists. It hurt like…bad. But there was no hesitation in my action; because I knew what I had to do was vital.

The blood was dripping down the steps.

I held my mangled arm out.

"Drink," I ordered.

He wrinkled his nose. "I'm fine."

I snapped. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into? You're always telling me 'do you want to head back? I'm worried' but you never, _ever_ freaking think about your own _stupid_ self and about how, actually, YOU might be putting yourself in danger. Like, you might _die_ because your dumb clan is against you. So shut your trap, and drink because I am _not_ having you fight them on a low energy level. You get me?"

I shook my arm for emphasis, winced because it really hurt, and watched the blood trickle across my flesh.

Oh.

Ew.

I looked at him. "What are you waiting for?"

Gingerly, he took my arm and pressed his mouth to it, drinking his fill. When he was done, he licked the wound to seal it, wiped the blood off his lips, kissed the now healing area, and left me where I was sitting.

I got up indignantly, but quickly had to sit down again because the room was spinning, and falling down all those stairs was not a good idea.

"Neji!" I screamed. "Get your butt back here!"

I was promptly ignored.

Scowling, with eyebrows furrowed, I pushed away the wooziness and climbed the stairs with rushing ferocity.

He was going it get it when I caught up to him.

An eat and run?

Not allowed in my book.

Turns out, running when you're short on blood is not really a great idea, but that wasn't bothering me at the current moment. What was really bothering me was that Neji had left me, and now I had to run up half the Tokyo Tower which was still going to be and impressive feat in itself, time was running out, and I kind of wanted to be there for moral support when Neji met his clan.

My breath was getting short, but I chugged through anyways.

Running from monsters in Dearth was good for something, I guess.

With some difficultly, I was on my last flight up, and I heard Neji's voice from above. I stood still, breath catching in my throat, and waited. A voice, deeper than his, rang out.

"Have you no shame, Neji?" the voice rumbled. "You are a Hyuuga. We, as a clan, are the only vampires with such pure blood, such impressive lineage—and you are throwing it all away to become the thing we despise the most?"

"Uncle, please let me through. I do not wish to fight with you."

"If you do not wish to fight, then go back to Dearth. Forget this…becoming human nonsense. You only lose out, Neji, if you sacrifice your immortality and power. Take heed from me, and return home."

"I'm sorry Uncle. I cannot. The moon is almost full, and I must complete the spell underneath the moonlight…there is no changing my mind."

"Well then." There was a note of grudging finality in his voice. "We'll just have to take you down by force and drag you back to where you belong."

I could see the shadows moving…the moon's light was bright enough to cast them. Neji's wings were out, and he was battling his entire clan with not much difficulty, but I could see that the sheer numbers where dragging him down.

I debated jumping in to help, then thought better of it. It would only serve to put myself in danger, and then Neji would have two people to look after. No…as much as I was against it, I needed to sit low and wait.

I could only hope that they wouldn't catch the scent of a human in their midst.

* * *

><p>There was banging and clanging from the metal above—once, I saw sparks fly in colors of gold and blood red, shadows flying and then crashing to the ground in painful thumps, some to rise, some to stay floored. I don't know for how long I stayed there, but it was long—my legs were falling asleep, but the adrenaline rush was still sweeping through my body.<p>

Fight or flight.

I rolled my eyes. Well, the choice was obvious.

Fight.

Duh.

The low voice that wasn't Neji's came out again. "You are wearing down. Stop while you have the chance."

Neji's smirking voice answered it. "I'm not stopping any time soon…there are only, what? Four of you left? I can take you, no problem—then the ritual will be complete."

"You think you can take me? I am the clan leader. That title is not only a title of power, but of respect—of my strength, and dedication to the Hyuuga clan. And you…" here, I heard the sound of a flare, "Need to recognize that."

There was no other talking, only the clang and clash of fighting. Slowly, I peeked my head up, and saw Neji battling it out with a middle aged man that looked suspiciously like him—pale eyes, long hair and everything.

I supposed he was the owner of the deep voice, and quickly realized I didn't really like the fact that he was fighting against Neji when he had some dumb spell to finish that I had been a part of for too long.

I unsheathed the knives Tsunade gave me.

I checked the moon.

Time to get real.

I squinted my eyes tight from my safety spot, and aimed for the nonmoving targets, the dumb clan members that stood watching their leader fight the rebel. I felt bad about throwing deadly objects at them, but hey—they would heal soon enough, so I didn't feel _too_ guilty.

I didn't know how I did it (how was I born with such good aim and didn't realize it up till now?) but they dropped like flies, hitting the metal flooring with multiple thumps. The clan leader's eyes were sharp though, and he saw his men fall.

"Hiashi…" whispered one of the guys I had stabbed, and slowly, his finger crooked in my direction.

Hiashi glared at me.

Not good.

Soooo not good.

I drew my remaining knives, ready to fight him, but he got in front of my face in a flash, and, without hesitation, grabbed my throat. In vain, I stabbed him with my weapons, but he seemed unfazed by the blood wounds.

"Let…go…" I choked out.

"A human?" he asked himself, studying my face, twisting it left and right with ferocity. "Don't tell me…"

I kicked his shin, clawed at his hands with my fingernails, but his grasp did not slacken. Breathing was getting difficult…he was crushing my windpipe.

But I had done what I needed to. Neji was preparing his ingredients, getting ready to complete the spell behind Hiashi's back.

But the man was calculating something as well.

"Hah," I spat, "What are you looking at? So I'm a human. Just happened to chance on your little fight here, and went to help out the underdog. You against teen rebels?"

"Very much so." His eyebrows narrowed and he clenched his fingers tighter. I gasped in pain, trying to loosen his hold. "You. It's you…you are the reason Neji hasn't come back."

"What," I wheezed, "Are you talking about?"

"He feels sentimental attachment to a _thing_ only worthy of being a food source," Hiashi hissed. "Outrageous…even if your blood may be the best, there are always others. He'll find another good food source in 10 years or so once your body has been dead for a long time. I find it despicable that the heir to the clan can have such amorous feelings for a wrench like this. So, Neji, make your choice." He turned to face Neji, who was mixing the last of the ingredients into a large bag. Hiashi laughed at his efforts, and drew me up to eye level, face mocking and yet serious. "You can either stop what you're doing and come back, or…"

And then, he squeezed my neck so tight that my lungs nearly collapsed and black spots were dancing in front of me. "…Or," he continued, "I can kill the woman you love. Your choice."

Neji…loved me?

And I wasn't informed of this?

I saw Neji hesitate.

Slowly, he set down the bag of ingredients and held up his hands defensively. "Don't kill her, Uncle," he said softly.

The bag, filled to the brim, tipped over, and glittering lime-colored dust drifted to the floor, quickly sinking into the metal. The place where it fell glowed a deep blue.

The moon shone brightly.

And then Neji lunged, knocking Hiashi to the floor. The man relinquished his grip on my throat in order to fight off his nephew. I fell to the metal ground with a thump, head clunking against it quite painfully. I groaned, gasping for air yet in pain simultaneously. "Run, Tenten!" Neji yelled, but I wasn't going to leave him like that, no way in hell—

"You're too late," his uncle snarled, pushing Neji off his body. "The spell's already started, and you're nowhere near it. All your work will be in vain—you will return, and the girl's body will stay here."

I massaged my throat for a brief moment before quickly crawling to my feet. The pain I felt when I fell was now a dull throb. This was no time to be feeling sorry for myself. I needed to get Neji.

So then I did the dumbest thing I have done in a while.

With absolutely no regard for my safety, I jumped into the fray of magical lightning bolts and sparks, ignoring the searing pain that hit me when anything made contact with my flesh.

Hiashi's eyes grew wide as I ran closer and closer to my target. "Get away!" he roared, sending a jolt of magenta chain to wrap around my feet and hold me there—but it was done.

I laughed. "Joke's on you, old man…_now_ it's too late. For you, that is."

And with a giant shove, I…

…Pushed Neji into the glowing blue area.

He looked at me, shocked, as he fell. "Tenten…"

Just as I had planned, his body landed on the bag he had previously discarded, and the lime dust exploded into the air, showering everything in a glow of deep blue. The light from the moon reflected off the sandy fragments, and Neji froze, as if standing still in Time. His body was cast in the radiance of the moon's magic.

"Girl…you…" words weren't enough to articulate Hiashi's rage, but he knew there was no going back. Instead, he watched, dumbfounded as Neji breathed deeply in, then opened his eyes.

Abruptly, Hiashi attacked, throwing a bolt of electricity at Neji, but he easily deflected it.

"Why?" Hiashi asked, voice laced with anger. "You're supposed to be human!"

"Only after the night ends, Uncle." Then, softer, "Go home. You cannot have me as the successor. There are many vampires worthy of being the next head. You just haven't tried seeing them yet."

"What would your father say?" roared Hiashi, gathering yet another bolt of magic in his hands, seeming to ignore Neji's words. "He put you in my care! You would have been great—you would have been a legend!"

From behind Hiashi, I knocked him to the floor with a karate chop to the neck. The bolt fizzed out as his mind shut down, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell into a heap, unconscious. Well, Neji had worn him out a bit. I just did the easy part. "Correction," I mumbled even though I knew Hiashi couldn't hear me, "Neji _is_ great. And he _will_ live on as a legend for what he's doing. Idiot."

* * *

><p>There were bodies of vampires strewn everywhere, none of them dead, but none of them conscious, either.<p>

I felt a little bit of pride in me.

Yep. That was what Neji was capable of.

I walked up to him (he was still glowing blue), tugging on the hem of his pants as he was floating in the air without his wings. "Hey," I smiled. "So. Turning human now?"

He looked up at the sky, pensiveness crossing his face "Looks like it. I can feel myself changing…it's different, but not unwelcome." He chuckled. "My magic is slowly draining away. See?" And indeed it was—red flames were slowly drifting away and disappearing into nothingness.

There was a break.

"Thank you, Tenten," he whispered, and I was surprised to hear real thanks in his tone. He really had changed. And I was pretty sure it was before the spell was enacted. "Without you being there, things might have gone really wrong. With your audacity, and courage, you took the leap and made what I wanted to happen, happen. You should feel immensely proud of yourself." He smirked. "Well, that's what a teacher would say, wouldn't he?"

I blushed and rolled my eyes, looking away. "Really now. Funny stuff, Neji."

The lime dust was clouding the area, sparkling in the white glow of the moonshine. From the top of the Tokyo Tower, I could see the familiar lights of the city glittering beneath us, filled with people that would never encounter an experience like mine.

For a moment, despite all that I had been through, I felt extremely blessed.

But there was still something that needed to be resolved.

I turned and looked into Neji's eyes again, surprised how much they resembled the full moon above our heads. I asked quietly, "Why Neji? Why are you doing this? I'm not against it or anything, but…I think I deserve to know. You're changing everything with what you're doing...I just feel like I have to be a part of it."

He didn't answer me.

Something wasn't right.

"Neji?" I asked again, more urgently this time.

Then I noticed it. Slowly, his feet were disintegrating into the air. I grasped at his ankle, but soon it too was gone. "Neji!" I cried, trying to notify him of the change. "Neji!"

He looked down at me, a peaceful, gentle smile on his face. The vanishment kept creeping upwards.

I was crying now.

He was disappearing…why? The spell should have worked!

"Neji, don't go," I pleaded, tears dripping humiliatingly down my face. Nothing was beautiful about the situation anymore.

He was already half gone.

"If you must know, Tenten…it was all for you. It has always been, and always will be, just for you," he whispered softly. A hand went out to brush a tear off my face, and I grasped his palm tightly, determined to never let it go—but in a moment, I was latching on to nothing.

"Neji…" I hiccupped. I could only repeat myself now, his name dancing on my lips, a hopeless prayer to bring him back down to me. "Neji…"

I took one last, long look at his face, determined to keep it ingrained in my mind forever. "Please don't leave," I begged one more time, reaching up, hoping to touch his face but making contact with nothing.

He didn't heed my wishes.

"For you," he smiled, and then the dust fell to the floor and the glow subsided, the last of him vanishing into the night.

For a moment, it didn't seem real.

But then reality hit.

A scream tore at my throat, and I picked up the remaining dust, throwing it on the ground over and over again—make Neji come back! Make him come back, he needs to return—all the vampires that were slowly fading away, their bodies returning to Dearth due to their low magical supply were of no importance to me.

My tears were staining the powder.

I looked up at the moon and cursed it so all of Tokyo could hear me, yelled at it for taking him away from me—the anguish that was welling up could not be contained, I had to scream, yell, scream some more to let everyone know. I picked up the bag of dust and threw it so that the remains fluttered to the ground, choking and sobbing and finally crumpling to my knees.

I punched the floor so strongly that my knuckles bled, but I felt no pain.

My nerves seemed to realize something else was hurting much more.

My heart.

Neji was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks up till now, you have made this long journey worthwhile.<br>**

**One more.  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you for all who followed this story up till now. I've been drafting this since I was naught but a wee teenager, and it's such a great feeling to finally get to this conclusion.  
><strong>

**Welcome to the final installment.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is only mine in my dreams.**

* * *

><p>The night dragged on forever. When dawn broke and I got up from my nap on top of Tokyo tower, my eyes were still wet from the tears. The worried onlookers who had come up to the top whispered in a language I didn't understand…but nothing was going through my mind at the moment. In fact, everything was just…blank.<p>

When I had first sensed the light of day, there was still some lingering sense of hope in my body, that Neji just left for the night to finish some duties—he would be back soon—but when I sat up and looked around in excitement, I was greeted with only the sun as my companion.

The morning was cold.

A police officer helped me stand. Slowly, I was escorted off the tower, and to the station where I was reprimanded by a translator who told me quite clearly that going up there when hours were over was prohibited, and "where are your parents? Aren't they worried?"—but I really didn't care. When I finally sighed and told them that no, I wasn't on vacation in Japan, in fact, I kind of just wanted to go home, they immediately contacted my mother and father. Hours later, I was on a plane ride back to my college campus.

Even if I wanted to cry on the plane, I couldn't. They had all been shed already, leaving only emptiness inside me as a reminder of that fact. How had I failed to notice how much time Neji had spent around me? Why was it that he had to leave for me to discover how deeply he had situated himself into my life?

The night's event still replayed backwards—Neji fighting, Neji collapsing, the moonlight and, the worst part, his disappearance—the soft look in his eyes when he whispered his last words.

_"For you."_

What had he meant?

And more importantly, would I ever see him again so he could explain?

Now that he wasn't pressuring me, or bothering me, following me, or lecturing me, I truly felt the weight of the elimination of his presence. I choked down a strangled sob, and finished the plane ride in silence.

My parents were at the airport to greet me.

For once, they both didn't say anything when they saw me; instead, they just hugged me tight and petted my head as if to say; "whatever you just went through, we'll be here if you need us."

Finally, mom spoke. "How did you get there so fast? Sakura contacted us just last night that you hadn't come out of the teacher's room, and when she went back to check, you had disappeared—honestly—all the way to Japan? What was that crazy lady thinking? We had the police all over the campus searching for you, and turns out; you weren't even in the country. Oh, don't worry Tenten, we'll catch her, and she'll be in so much trouble for abducting you…"

I let out a little rueful smile. Time in Dearth did pass differently after all…maybe I was lucky because 100 years hadn't passed in its place. Only a day had gone by on Earth, while over a month had gone in Dearth…an entire adventure only I would be able to experience.

And for the first time, something my mother said struck me as funny in a bittersweet kind of way.

Mortals? Catch Vi?

Impossible.

* * *

><p>I took a few days off from school. Rather than learn, I sat in my room, staring out the window for hours on end, just looking at the sky and thinking…sometimes nothing, and sometimes about Neji.<p>

On this particular day, I was thinking about the latter.

There were so many questions filling my head, each of them remaining unanswered and mysterious.

Where had he gone? Would he be back? Did he care about me? Was everything just—

—In the past now?

My chin dropped between my arms.

Occasionally, upon reflection, I would laugh a bit about the stupid things I had done.

There were lots of them…irrational, dumb, college-student decisions that didn't end well most of the time. I felt like I had matured, but in the end, I still had the mental age and temper of a small child…

But honestly, Neji had let me experience so much that, despite how much he annoyed me when he was with me, I appreciated what he had done. Appearances could be deceiving; I guess…who would have thought my teacher would have turned out to be some immortal creature from a different universe, hell bent on tasting my blood? And then, dragging me through some crazy adventure—nearly getting me killed on quite an array of occasions—

Damn.

I was crying again.

I missed him.

I missed him, so, _so_ much I didn't know what to do with myself.

I took a shaky breath.

Not now, Tenten.

It's over.

A knock came at the door.

After drying off my eyes with my sleeve, I quickly answered, "Come in!"

"You ready to go back to the campus?" asked Dad, opening the door a bit.

My lips formed themselves into somewhat of a smile.

It felt broken and fake.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>It seemed like everyone had heard about my crazy abduction, because when I got back, all my friends were waiting for me.<p>

I got out of the car and waved good bye to Dad before greeting them.

"Aren't you all supposed to be at classes—"

I was cut off by a bone crushing hug from Ino. And then Hinata started crying, which I thought had been a habit she had grown out of.

"We—we…thought we were never going—hic—to see you again, and I was s-so scared that you…unhhhhh…" And then she didn't say another word either and hugged me with all her strength.

Sakura seemed to be tearing up too, but she held them in better than Hinata did. "I'm really glad you're okay, Tenten. I didn't know what I would do if…if…"

I smiled softly. It was nice to see they hadn't changed in my absence. A long time had passed since I had last seen their faces. "It's all good, guys. I'm okay. Have…have…"

Now was the time to ask.

"Have you seen Neji—ah, Hyuuga-sensei?"

Hyuuga-sensei.

The name was foreign on my tongue.

Sakura looked at Sasuke, who was lounging by himself, watching the reunion from the back. "Honestly, we haven't seen him. He left for a while I think. Maybe he's ill," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

I felt like I had been stabbed a million times.

So he wasn't here either.

"Why do you ask?" laughed Naruto. "He always seemed to get on your nerves, Tenten. I think you would be a little happy that he's sick."

I let out a dry little laugh. "Uh, yeah. He's really annoy—"

I stopped because tears were pricking my eyes.

"Anyways," butt in Ino, who seemed to have seen the redness in my eyes, "Let's go get coffee. Tenten, things have gone _so_ well with the Karin plan. Let me tell you, Sasuke filled his role perfectly. _Perfectly_. Shikamaru, don't slink away, you're part of this conversation too, you loner! Anyways, she totally fell for it, and then they 'went out' for a while. And by a while, I meant about 4 hours, enough time for everyone to get a wind of their relationship, see. I calculate these things well. So she's all hanging on Sasuke's arm, and then wham! There's a crowd growing around them, courtesy of yours truly."

Sakura groaned. "It went so well that her ego had inflated…"

"And," continued Ino, totally ignoring Sakura's interruption, "Sasuke dumps her right on the spot, calls her a bunch of stuff even _I_ wouldn't have the guts to say. Everyone's like, shocked. The little redhead bursts into tears and slaps him in the face—the red mark is still there—and runs away, everyone applauds, happy ending for all."

I smiled weakly.

Even Ino's talkative nature wasn't getting me back on my feet.

Somehow, I still felt detached from what was happening.

It was all very…_distant_.

As if I was watching everything from a mirror under a pool filled with water, and I still couldn't breathe comfortably.

With a push of a door, we entered S.S., and the smell of warm coffee wrapped me up and bundled me into its arms. I let out a long sigh, something I had been keeping to myself. The only one that heard it was Sakura, but she merely looked at me and said nothing. Like the friend that she was, she understood with not spoken words that the content of the sigh was between us. We took a table and pulled out the chairs, and I had one of the most normal reunions with the friends I held so dear. Like usual, like the times I had missed so much when I was in Dearth. Did they know that they were the ones I thought about when I was under Vi's mind control? I smiled into my coffee and took a sip.

It would be too embarrassing to tell them.

And they wouldn't believe me anyways.

Their voices trailed off into the afternoon, bringing me a taste of normalcy that I hadn't encountered for a while.

I reminded myself to thank them for that.

That, and pretending like they were okay, and that I was okay—but inwardly knowing I was far from such.

I knew the type of people they were. Even Naruto, when he knew his distance, wasn't the type to pry. They would wait, patiently, always with open arms and steady hands, for when I was ready to share.

"That teacher…Ms. Vi is going to be trashed to death when we get a hold of her," snorted Ino. "Seriously. The nerve of that woman…which reminds me. Tenten, how on earth did you get all the way there? It's like, _forever_ away. And more importantly…" she bent down low, as if sharing a secret. "Where did she go?"

Lies flitted out of my mouth. "I dunno…she got me, and then the next thing I knew, she was gone and I was on top of some freaky tall tower in Tokyo."

"Huh. Weird."

I couldn't tell them.

As selfish and childish as it sounded, the entire journey within Dearth…I wanted to keep between me and Neji. It would be a secret only we would get to share, a moment to keep us tied together.

"Ah…" came Hinata's soft voice, interrupting my thoughts. "Everyone, don't look forward…"

As usual, she was ignored and people focused on—

Ino's smile grew wicked. "Well, what do you know. Back for a little more thrashing?"

Karin huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder, pointedly ignoring Sasuke and Ino, glaring instead at the weakest link: Hinata, who was shrinking into the corner of the booth, doing her best to avoid eye contact. Naruto saw her discomfort and rushed to her rescue like the blonde knight he was.

"Hey, stop looking at her like that! She doesn't like it. And we don't like you. So bug off."

"Fine," she snapped back, all notions of revenge forgotten. "You guys…are just…argh. No comment. You don't even deserve my attention."

Once she had disappeared to tend to the other customers, Shikamaru groaned. "Women."

Ino punched him. "Shut up."

Somehow, a sense of _something_ was still rattling my bones. Not in the good way. I guess I still wasn't as strong about the whole "getting back to my normal life" as I thought I was. I stood up, looking into concerned eyes. I waved offhandishly. "I'm fine, guys, really…but I have to go now. I need some time to myself."

Sakura nodded understandingly. "We got it. Take as long as you need."

My smile came out shaky when I replied, "Thanks."

Their whispers and worried glances followed me. I didn't mean to make them anxious about everything, but it couldn't be avoided—after the so called "abduction," of course they would be fearful for my safety.

My smile turned into a hard line.

The only reason I was alive was because of…

As I left S.S., I look a deep breath of air and looked at my surroundings. I couldn't think about him now. This was where I belonged. On a college campus. Not in some creepy underworld.

This was Earth.

Not Dearth.

I had lived here for as long as I could remember. No matter how much time I had spent in Dearth, learning about the place and everything, it was not my home; nor could it ever become that. And there was no way I wanted to go back there.

A wind blew across the street, shedding green leaves everywhere.

It was time to snap back to reality.

_Bye, Neji_, I thought. _I'll be missing you forever_.

* * *

><p>A month passed.<p>

College was the same as ever—hard and busy. I had finally gotten myself back on track, but every time I looked at the pruny English professor—the lady that had supposedly gone missing a few months before—I couldn't help but groan. Her absence had not changed how _atrocious_ she looked.

And I couldn't help envisioning a pale, smirking vampire in her place.

Who was, or had been, by the way, 100 times hotter. And male.

I twirled my pencil around my fingers absentmindedly.

I really hoped he hadn't died with that spell. Like, I really, _really _hoped no proof ever came out that he was gone forever…because if it did, I would probably shut myself off from the world for the rest of my life.

In a dark cave somewhere.

Preferably with a convenience store close by.

"Tenten," the professor snapped, gaining my attention again. "Would you care to _focus_ a little more in my lecture? If you have a problem with my teachings, you can kindly leave—the door is right there."

I bit my lip and bowed my head. "Sorry professor."

She let out an indignant huff and went back to teaching.

20 minutes later, I finished taking my notes on my laptop, stopped twirling my pencil so that I could write my homework down, and got ready to leave. Sakura was packing her bag too, and she looked up at me. "We're meeting up with Sasuke later, right? I have some papers I've got to get to him."

I nodded. "Sure thing. Just let me get my things straight."

I saved my notes, and was just about to shut my computer down before something happened.

Something _bad_.

Something reminiscent of a very familiar dejavu.

A cracking, spluttering, technical sound was emitting out of my computer. I checked everything I could, breaking out into a cold sweat; I had an anti-virus program, I didn't click on any suspicious links anyways—why was my computer acting dumb?

The screen shuddered and crashed, flashing vertical, multicolored stripes for everyone left in the lecture hall to see. I groaned. "Piece of junk…" and quickly, manually, shut it down.

The computer stopped its obnoxious humming and went still. I breathed a sigh of relief.

And then it hit me.

What if…

I left all my things there, breaking out into a sprint. Sakura was calling after me, "Tenten! What am I going to do with all this?"

"Bring it with you," I yelled back. "I owe you one!"

Because perhaps my laptop was a Neji-sensor or something, it only broke down when he was around. Like the first day I met him, when the computer had gone all wonky, the same thing had happened just minutes before. Maybe he was back—

My campus was huge.

That didn't stop me.

I ran everywhere, hoping that my guess wasn't wrong, that he was lurking in the corners getting ready to surprise me and then joke with me for a while before moving in to take a taste of my blood; that maybe he was waiting for me.

My breath was catching in my throat and I was sweating buckets, but I had to find him.

If he was here, there was no doubt in my mind that I would catch up to him eventually.

There were hordes of people everywhere—students, faculty, clubs—all crowding around, disturbing my senses.

"Excuse me, pardon me, coming through…" these words left my mouth as I weaved in and out of the growing crowd, attempting in vain to get back on the path. I was twirling and weaving and dodging, and it seemed like everything and everyone was frozen and I was able to move forward. Or perhaps it was the other way around—the crowd shifting, ever changing, while I was trapped, never able to find who I needed.

Someone grabbed my arm.

I turned around, hope riding on my voice. "Ne—"

The word stayed in my throat, because it wasn't him.

"Hey Tenten! I was hoping I'd see you around. You okay?"

It was Naruto.

"Yeah," I answered, distracted. "Listen Naruto, I have to do something right now, it's really urgent."

"Oh? Maybe I can help!"

"Sorry," I said, not wanting to sound harsh but wanting to continue on my search, "I have to find someone, and I don't think you know—"

He laughed his famous bubbly laugh, and punched me lightly in the arm. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for Hyuuga-sensei for you. Good luck finding him! If I see him, I'll send you a text. Bye!"

Soon, the head of yellow sunshine was gone from my sight.

How did he…?

How did Naruto know?

I smiled to myself. Maybe he wasn't as clueless as all of us made him out to be. "Thanks, Naruto," I whispered, though I knew he couldn't hear me. "You really are a great friend."

And then I went back on running.

* * *

><p>Night fell, drawing the campus up into a shroud of darkness, letting only the light of the streetlamps shine through. I still hadn't found him, and my hope was quickly deteriorating. I mentally scorned myself. What was I thinking? Just because a computer crashed didn't mean he was back. I was just being foolish, and I needed to stop and realize that everything was done already. It had been done an entire month ago, plus a little more, so there was no use dwelling in the past when I could be living in the present.<p>

If dumb Hyuuga-sensei never wanted to see me again, well, then so be it.

He could be an arrogant butthole. He always was anyway.

And I didn't miss him at all.

I let out a bitter laugh and stepped out onto the porch outside of the dorm. Who was I kidding? I pretty much had no life without him.

I had gotten too attached, too soon.

I sat down on a lawn chair, into the night, ignoring the bugs that were swarming around in the muggy air, and just looked around, thinking.

"I miss him a lot," I mumbled quietly.

"You having an affair? Cheeky, aren't you," called a voice from the street side. I stood up. If I were a deer, you would have seen my ears twitching, trying to find the source of the noise, alert and cautious.

"Who's there?" I called, suspicious. The voice was too familiar to be real.

The person drawled, "Seriously? I leave you alone for a little while, and you're already flinging yourself over other men and forgetting the beautiful sound of my voice? Come on, _Tenten_, you must be joking."

A laugh cracked in my throat. No, _he_ must be joking. Someone was very good at playing pranks, or imitating voices, because there was no way in hell he was back.

Because I had hope before. And I was not too keen on having it crushed.

"If you are who I think you are, you better have a good explanation for leaving me here by myself for over a freaking _month_, disappearing into the night and not telling me anything. You better start talking, lest I never pay attention to you ever again," I yelled, standing up and hoping I'd see him.

I thought I would be angry.

I wasn't.

I was ready to rip his face off.

A bit relieved, yes…but no mercy.

He was going to get it.

Neji stepped into the porch light. He looked the same…dressed smartly, hair long, eyes the color of the moon. I licked my lips, which had suddenly become very dry, and I fought the urge to launch myself off my chair and kiss him till I couldn't breathe. Because he didn't deserve that—he didn't deserve anything from me after what he did.

Forgiving him? Not okay.

No matter how happy I was to see him again (this was an understatement, I wanted to attach myself to his hip so he would never go away again—after a stern reprimanding of course).

And I felt like crying.

A lot.

But that was not to be shared with anyone.

"You could never ignore me," he said arrogantly.

Then, more quietly, "So, how have you been?"

"How have I been?" I reiterated sweetly. "Well, other than thinking you were dead and never coming back again, wallowing in misery for a few weeks and barely getting myself back on the right track again, I've been _peachy_, thank you very much." My tone grew from sweet to livid in a moment, so by the end of my sentence, I was yelling.

Then, I proceeded to leap down the steps and punch him as hard as I could, uncontained frustration and relief pouring out in the form of tears. I had tried to hold them back because I knew I'd look like a mess, but I guess that plan wasn't coming into action. I wasn't sure which I felt more—anger at him cutting the bond like that or insane consolation by the simple fact that he wasn't a hallucination.

That it really was him—it was enough to attest to that by the pain I felt in my knuckles after landing a few blows. He was most definitely solid. "What the hell did you think I would say? I've been horrible! Stupidly missing you, stupidly thinking you were gone forever, stupidly hoping you'd be back every single day, every single night—you didn't notify me, I totally thought I was the cause of your death—"

I took a breath, shaking from head to toe, and beat him up again, my tiny fists making no dent in his body. He winced though, which was enough to prompt me to scream out what I really felt about his question. "And YOU have the AUDACITY to ask me how I've been?"

"There was some unfinished business—"

He was _not_ pulling this one.

My eyes narrowed and I barely refrained from grabbing his throat and choking him. I was not dumb.

"You. Are. A. MORTAL! What could you have possibly done at Dearth, huh?"

"I just had to straighten out some things—the future successor, yada yada—"

"A month!" I yelled. How did he not understand what I had gone through? "I had to go an entire month without you!"

My tirade done, I looked at him with a heated glare, breathing hard after shouting so much. The crickets chirped outside.

"Well," he replied quietly, "I had to go 2 years without you. So I wouldn't be complaining."

Oh.

Right.

The time difference.

Something clicked.

…He waited that long for me?

I suddenly felt like crying all over again. I was already wiping the tears off my face with the hem of my shirt.

He sat down on the porch step, just talking. I followed, only able to listen because I had already spent all my energy screaming. Together, we sat on the step of the dorm building, staying outside, observing his answer.

"The spell wasn't complete, you know. It started a little too late, so I still had some of my powers…I went back to talk some stuff over with Uncle, who, by the way, has finally let me stay here. It took some persuading and some time, but I got his permission, though I'm kind of no longer eligible to be the head of the clan. But that's ok with me. Tsunade helped me with the rest—the lady's a genius—and finished the spell and sent me back here. I lived in one of the Witches chambers while I was there, living on disgusting blood that wasn't yours in an attempt to keep my body in shape when I was in Dearth."

Neji looked at me and finished softly. "I'm sorry it took so lo—"

The rest of his words were cut off as I gave into my dark desires and kissed him, full on the mouth, no hesitation or questions asked. I had longed for him, his nature, and his presence for too large a time frame. The look on his face was priceless—if I hadn't been so glad to see it, I would've used it for blackmail. And for once, I felt no fangs on my lips, just a normal kiss with a normal human that I hadn't seen for a while.

"How much did you think of me?" he asked when we broke apart.

"Too often," I muttered, kissing him for a second time.

"You know you get no benefits of prolonged life span anymore, right? You sure you want to keep kissing—"

"I'm sure," I interjected, our lips meeting again. "I'm trying to make up for lost time. A month, remember?"

"Two years, remember?" he mocked, grinning slightly against my mouth.

I growled. "Don't make me bite you."

"Oooh, role reversal?"

"Don't make me. You know I will. I've done it before."

"I don't doubt you in the slightest."

Was that sarcasm?

"Yes, it was."

"Don't read my mind like that. It's not cool."

"You know what's not cool? Your affair with other men."

The playful banter had returned to my life again.

I pushed him away, glowering. "I was a _mess_ without you. Honest, I was—don't laugh! I didn't have any affairs with any other men, I promise. Quite frankly, I was too obsessed with your dumb self to think of anyone else, let alone go on a date with them. Rest assured."

He was back.

_Neji was back_.

I still couldn't believe it.

We took a bit of quiet time together, me against his shoulders, him against mine. It was comfortable and I felt calm…at home, with not a ripple of worry in my mind. It had been a while since I felt like that, and I relished in the moment, locking it away in my memories.

"So," I finally asked. "How are you going to sustain yourself? You can't stay with me at my dorm."

"How I've been doing it up to this point. I'll get a job. As your teacher."

I barely withstood one year. What made him think I could do another?

He smirked and patted my shoulder. "I won't go easy on you."

I groaned. "Could you please apply for a different position?"

"I'm afraid not."

"You don't mean that. Secretly, you enjoy making my life difficult."

He shrugged. "Can't argue against that." Then he grinned and took a playful nip at my neck. I slapped him away. "Stop that! You can't do that anymore. Brings back bad memories."

"You mean pleasurable—ouch, did you have to hit me?" He mumbled. "Everything I do is for you, yet I'm always the one that gets beat up…"

Ah. That was right.

"…You haven't explained that part yet. I think it would be a good idea before something else uncomfortable happens to you," I prompted, feeling a little nervous, but at the same time anticipating his answer.

He had kept it from me long enough.

He groaned.

"Do I really have to say it out loud? It's embarrassing."

"Yes."

Neji leaned closer to me and brought his lips close to my ear. Slowly, his breath ghosted over my cheek, warm and not unwelcome, sending butterflies up and down my spinal cord. His whisper left me breathless.

_"I like you. I became human to be with you."_

That was it.

That was the answer.

That was the answer I _wanted_. The one I had thought about for days at my window, just searching for the explanation for his last words. It was, by far, the best justification my mind had come up with at the time.

I just never actually thought it would be true.

"I know," I answered quietly.

He scowled and scooted away. "If you knew that, why'd you make me say it?"

"I needed to affirm something…only if you said it aloud, you know."

The gaze he gave me was questioning. "What?"

This time, I was the one who leaned close to whisper into his ear. _"Whether the feeling is mutual or not, of course."_

Neji chuckled. "That's no secret. You didn't have to whisper it. It was obvious you fell for me as soon as I walked into that classroom."

I flushed beetroot red and turned away, face hot.

He smirked. "You _love_ me, don't you?"

It wasn't a joke, despite the playful tone he used.

The question was serious.

I answered him by sealing his mouth shut with mine.

* * *

><p>"Yeah? The assignment? Oh, please, don't bring that up…got it. Okay. See you tomorrow—don't forget…fine. Bye." I groaned and hung up the phone, rubbing my temples with my fingertips. I really did have it tough…it didn't help that Neji was piling the work on me now that finals were approaching. The other teachers weren't taking it easy either; all my friends were swamped with papers and thesis statements and other things I just didn't want to worry about at the moment. Besides: it was nearly midnight, and I needed sleep if I was going to survive the next day.<p>

But before I went to bed, I needed to do something important—a daily ritual.

A countdown.

Silently, I picked up a marker and turned to the wall.

A calendar with various marked dates greeted my view.

Without a word, I crossed another day off and leaned back into my chair, observing my work, as little as it was.

"The day is coming soon," I said to no one in particular.

I glanced back at the papered chart on my wall. There was a date circled in dark red marker, the color of blood, labeled with Neji's name.

It was the night of the full moon.

* * *

><p><strong>The end. Thanks for traveling with me.<br>**

**Hope you enjoyed the journey. :)  
><strong>

**R & R.  
><strong>

**Would you like an epilogue?  
><strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**I casually juggled the idea of an epilogue. And it seems people actually like this story. So, quite a bit later, here it is. Enjoy this late present from me!**

**Now, this is really the end. I hope this answers anything that was unclear at the end of the main plot.**

**Much love, Ms. S**

* * *

><p>Epilogue:<p>

So, tonight was the night. Everything in the day had gone unusually well—I passed the hardest English test I had ever taken, ate a particularly tasty sandwich for lunch, punched Naruto several times, and finished my homework on time.

All without breaking a sweat.

Or a nail.

But now evening was setting upon the campus, and time was ticking _unbearably slow_. Because, as you _know_, Neji was going to be reverting back to his normal, bloodsucking, sexual harassing self in a few hours.

Oh question. Explanation, right? _"Wait; I thought he was a human and you guys would live happily ever after and have half-vampire babies that look like you!"_

Ever realize there's almost always a catch to everything? So here was the catch. The spell he cast followed a werewolf's transformation to a tee. He borrowed the technique from them, after all. So, as they transformed back into wolves when the moon turned its fullest, he too would become a vampire again during that time.

Powers, smirks, and appetite all included.

Tah-dah.

End of explanation. Not terribly exciting for you folks, but quite nerve-wracking for me.

I wasn't really looking forward to it.

To be honest, I thought I was done with the whole "meddling in other world affairs" thing. Vi hadn't shown her ugly mug in a while, Neji was a human (well, for now), and his clan had decided to leave him alone for a couple of centuries or such. I hadn't needed to put my life on the line in a long time, and I was quite enjoying the lack of risk and danger.

But then, a few days ago, he sprang the news with a devilish look on his face after class, and I nearly smacked him to death. Why hadn't he told me? Was he going to prey on young women again?

"Just a ploy to keep you by my side forever," he yawned. "Cuz you know, if you don't feed me, I die. Simple."

That was blackmail at its finest.

He was always really great at manipulating people.

So, back to the point. Tonight was the night.

I stared out the window. From my standpoint, I couldn't see much—all I could tell was that it was really dark. Neji had told me the day before—"_Nine o'clock, I'm coming for you. Make sure your roommate is out."—_so I had told Matsuri to wash and go ahead without me. She always took forever in the bathroom anyway.

…Not that that was a bad thing or anything…looking good takes effort.

The digital clock near my bedside was flickering, and I, like a crazy-girl with nothing better to do, was just watching the numbers tick closer and closer to our meeting time.

8:57 pm.

8:58 pm.

8:59 pm.

9:00 pm.

Right on the dot, a tapping came at my window. I looked, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized Neji was flapping around with his wings outside my dorm room. He could be seen clearly if someone was looking closely. I quickly opened the window and hissed, "You couldn't have used the door?"

He smirked and draped himself over the windowsill. "Please. That would have been suspicious. A male sneaking up to a female dorm? And a teacher at that? Scandalous. Now hurry up and get out."

"Your powers are back already?" I asked, hurriedly crawling out of the open space. The things I did for this guy…

"Yeap, around 20 minutes ago." He finished his sentence by dragging the remainder of my body outside so I was dangling precariously over the concrete. I scrambled for a good grip on his clothing, accidently yanked off a button ("sorry, didn't mean to"), and finally he was sick of me crawling over him awkwardly. So, like a true gentleman, he hauled me over his shoulder so I was presented with a nice view of his rear end. He closed the window and from my position, I uttered a muffled, "Where are we going?"

"Secret," he answered, and took flight. His wings and my pajamas wrinkled and flapped in the wind. From the skies, I watched over my campus: the city-like atmosphere, the people that were wandering out past curfew, and the tiny lights that dotted the sidewalk like fireflies.

I couldn't deny that despite the school pressures, the place was beautiful.

After flying for a while, we finally touched ground. We had landed in the forest reserve near the school, filled with little trails and trees and a perfect spot for a late night rendezvous.

_Not_.

"Are you crazy?" I whispered angrily. "We're still on campus! And I bet the police will do their patrols here sometime in the near future—you _know_ that 85% of the couples who do scandalous activities here get caught!"

He waggled his eyebrows and leaned against a tree. "Who said we were going to do scandalous activities? Aren't you reading too much into this?"

I flushed. He caught me. I spluttered for a while, trying to gain control of my vocal chords, finally coming out with a lame excuse. "I just said that because you…"

"Me? It's on me now?"

"Only cuz you know…you're so…obsessed with…"

I couldn't say it. Too embarrassing.

He finished the sentence for me, a smirk riding on his tone. "Touching you? Sucking your blood? Kissing you?"

"All of the above," I grumbled. "You're just obsessed with sexual harassment of all sorts. Actually, not only sexual harassment, mental harassment too—let's not forget your little incidence where you failed to tell me where you were for a couple of months. That flew by really well. So you can't blame me with that conclusion of scandalous activities."

I crossed my arms, finished with my tirade for now. I looked up, and the moon was bright—just like that night where I thought everything had ended. It was cool enough tonight. The wind was just right and if I closed my eyes and concentrated hard, I could smell the earth: a warm, dirt and leaves smell that rushed through my senses.

It really felt good to be alive.

"You know," Neji said quietly, voice low, "I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Oh," I replied, trying to keep it light, "Isn't that a shame?"

He looked at me and I shivered. He wasn't in the mood for jokes. Somehow, him being a vampire again jolted my senses and reminded me of all the stuff we had been through—life risking events, moments of laughter, and definitely times of pain. But seeing him with his teeth longer and his wings casually folding themselves back up…I decided I kind of missed that look. And I didn't really mind that once in a full moon he would revert back.

He was still looking at me.

Pale, pale eyes, mirroring the moon.

I sighed.

"I get it, so stop staring at me like I'm a piece of meat. Here." I held up my wrist. "Eat up. I'm delicious."

Neji took a step forward and gave my wrist a gentle lick, eyes screaming with seduction. "That you are," he murmured.

I felt the familiar numbing sensation and looked away. "Just take some blood and be done with it. I need to go to sleep soon."

"We both know that's not true…and you know me, I like to savor my meals bit by bit. I thought we were past this initial stage of shyness Tenten…aren't we in a relationship now?" He grinned, canines flashing in the night. He bit down slowly, sucking slightly against my skin, grazing it just enough to draw blood. I knew he would be pretty satisfied with the taste because the adrenaline that was rushing through me was quite…abundant.

"You taste particularly sweet tonight."

…Called it.

"Well, since you made me mark my calendar for this very special event, I've been eating really healthy," I said. Which was partially true—Neji hadn't had blood in such a long time, I needed to make sure that the one day he had it, he would get al the nutrients he needed.

He drew away from my arm and licked it, sealing it back up. "Oh really? Well, one: thank you for your consideration. But two: I think it's not so much your diet, as the fact that you are _extremely attracted to me right now_."

"…Go jump off a cliff."

Neji slowly reached up and touched my arm, trailing his fingers higher and higher, to my shoulders, grazing my neck, then cupping my cheek. "As usual," he whispered, "Your blood tastes the best."

His eyes closed and he leaned in to kiss me, meeting me halfway. It wasn't a fiery kiss, filled with passion, desire, and want (though he could really turn the tables, I never knew). Instead, it was a sweet kiss, a gentle pressing of the lips that somehow made my heart all gooey on the inside, melting me from my core. It was intimate and wonderful, and I never wanted it to end. He broke away, grinning at my bewildered expression. "Did you like that?"

My mouth decided at that time it didn't really like making sentences, so all I could do to communicate was gape like a fish.

Neji smirked. "I'll take that as a yes."

And then he stole another kiss, deeper this time. It was then I felt his urge for something stronger—I had sworn off contact with him to study for my exams, so I hadn't really given him anything other than a quick hug in my off time. And the pressure had built, and it wasn't only him.

I pressed closer to him, trailing my fingers along his shoulder blades, just as he did the same and rested his hands on my hips. His fangs grazed my lip and I growled—"No biting my mouth, got it?"—And he smiled against me and breathed softly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Then he was running his hands through my hair, being unnaturally kind and careful, nibbling my ears and peppering my jawline with kisses.

But that was child's play, and if _he _didn't want me as much as I wanted him, or if he thought repressing himself was a good idea, then he was sorely mistaken. I goaded him a bit to try and see if he would give into some of his more dangerous desires. "What is it, Neji? You scared to touch me? If you want, let's play a game."

"Game?" he murmured against my neck, obviously distracted. "No, no games…"

Well, that was a bit unfair. He was getting my blood, and in return, he wouldn't even entertain me. Not cool.

I pushed him off (reluctantly) and he looked stunned. One moment I was in his arms and the other I wasn't. It was my turn to start smirking. "We're going to play a game, Neji, whether you like it or not. But don't worry," I said, voice dropping a bit lower, "It's going to be a fun game."

"Tenten, I—"

"Here is how you play." I put my hand in the center of his chest and pushed him ever so slightly. It was odd, but I felt his power course through me when I touched him, and then it went into the earth, like I was his medium.

I checked the sky. The moon was almost at its peak, so having his powers grow stronger was not unexpected.

I turned my attention back onto Neji. There wasn't much time left if I was going to get to bed by 11:00. "The rules are as follows. You stay still. You're allowed to breathe, blink, and talk. But you can't move any other part of your body. I, however, am allowed to do _whatever _I want within your personal bubble. I can skip, punch you, tickle you, braid your hair, anything I want. And you can't do anything about it. If you can handle what I do for…let's go for three minutes…then you win. If you break out of your mold within that time, then I win."

"What do I get to do if I win?"

"Anything."

His eyes darkened. "Anything…?"

I nodded. "Anything. Same goes for me. So I can absolutely leave you here with no food. And that would be fine. And you'd just have to deal with it till tomorrow morning."

"Don't get too cocky now."

"I won't. So are you game? Or are you a coward?"

"I don't think that this game has anything to do with cowardice because to be a coward, you have to be scared. And quite honestly Tenten…you're about as scary as a baby bunny surrounded by flowers and rainbows. I can't think of anything you could do in my personal space which would make me feel uncomfortable. So in other words—your game sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind playing along."

Hook, line, and sinker. He was in my trap now. I knew him. He was weak when it came to sexual harassment—there was _no way_ I was going to lose this game.

"Just a reminder to stay still," I crooned. And then I set my plan into action, walking circles around Neji, observing him for a few seconds. Then, began the light touches, the gentle skip of my fingers along his shoulders, a glide of my palm against his back, a backhanded touch against his abdomen. I saw his jaw clench.

Perfect.

I upped the level, snickering as I watched him squirm (payback time). He was clearly getting uncomfortable, just like I wanted. The touching was all connected now, not once did my hands leave his body…I could feel the toned muscles underneath tensing up each time they were passed by. I stepped closer, humming slightly, running my fingers up and down his neck, slowly, tantalizingly dragging down his sides till they reached his hips. Neji hissed. "How much time is left?" I checked my watch, smiling darkly. "Oh, good job, you made it past the first minute…"

He groaned.

I eliminated the space between us, stepping so close to him that our bodies molded together. I hugged him tightly, then turned the innocent gesture into something else as my hands teased the bottom of his shirt, finally slipping under and pinching his back. Neji clenched his teeth harder. "What was that for?"

"Just thought I'd spice it up a bit."

"Well it hurt, don't—"

He was cut off when I breathed against his ear.

Oh, it felt _good_ to be in control. I felt a bit of pride, even, that I was making him feel this way. I bit down gently, feeling his shoulder rise with tension. I feathered kisses all along his cheeks, down the bridge of his nose before finally, _finally_ kissing him on the lips.

It was soft, sensual, and I just tried to imagine everything that Neji had ever done to sexually harass me and pay it back tenfold. I lowered my gaze, feeling only slightly nervous but very much in power. I kissed him again, slower, letting my feelings seep through the contact.

"Do you want to kiss me back?" I teased, absentmindedly smoothing out the collar on his shirt. I saw his Adams apple move when he swallowed saliva. His collarbones were prominent. I let my breath ghost over them. The vein in his neck instantly jutted out.

I didn't wait for an answer, instead, I just squeezed his biceps and sucked lightly on the junction of his neck and shoulder. I pretended to bite down as he did to me, but of course, me being human, all if left was a light bruise.

"The students aren't going to be happy when I go to class with that on my neck," Neji commented, voice shaky.

I licked the spot. "You can always just cover it up with makeup…"

Somehow, it still astounded me that Neji was so…physically fit. He didn't even do any activity that could lead to that kind of muscle density…at least, not that I knew of, anyways. I took a step back, observing him. He was obviously uncomfortable. I tilted my head and poked him in the stomach. Hard.

"Am I bothering you?"

"Yes. You are bothering me a lot."

I poked him again, this time in his side. He squirmed. "How about now? Am I bothering you now?"

"Tenten, I don't think you understand. You could be moving only your mouth and you could still find a way to grate on my nerves. That is how talented you are."

I grinned devilishly. Only my mouth, huh?

In one fluid movement, I was face to face with him, and I quickly flicked out my tongue to catch his bottom lip, then pressed my mouth fervently against him, groaning in approval. I cupped his face and pressed him harder to me, and I felt his mouth try to open to return the kiss, to which I could only laugh and say, "The rules, Neji, the rules…"

"Rules are meant to be broken," he said just as seductively. "And in terms of yours, Tenten…I don't think you can call the shots anymore. Time's up. I win."

My eyes widened and I checked my watch—had time really flown by that fast? It seemed it had—I was now running on four minutes. I grinned sheepishly, immediately creating distance between us. There was a dangerous look in Neji's eyes. "Can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

"Now, now," Neji said skeptically, "We play fair, don't we? We are good sportsmen and women, so we keep our promises, don't we?" With each word, he moved closer and closer, and I matched him step by step, moving backwards until without warning, he lunged out and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. I had barely enough time to catch the breath which had been forced out of me before Neji angled my head so my neck was exposed.

"Make it quick," I pleaded.

He raised his eyebrow. "After the torture you just put me through? Don't joke around."

I felt the familiar sensation of his breath against my skin before he licked his favorite spot and bit down. I sighed, instantly relaxing, and feeling extremely euphoric. He sucked on my neck, fangs sinking in, tongue not wasting time to lick up the red rivers running down my collarbones. With a final twist of his lips he drank his fill, eating up until I wasn't sure I had enough blood to keep my brain running. When he was done, he kissed the spot and the skin stitched itself back together, so the only remnants of his dinner was the satisfied look on his face and the clearly flustered expression on mine.

He ran his tongue along the edge of his fangs, still looking as if he wanted something. He brushed my bangs out of my face, sinking his fingers into my hair and tugging my against him, meeting me in a kiss. Our lips pressed and pulled away in tandem, his tongue curling against mine, and I tasted the faint metallic flavor of his last meal.

But it wasn't only his kisses which engulfed me—the moon was strengthening his magical powers, and I felt the surge. It was like I was filled with electricity, having sparks dance along my veins, seeing stars behind my closed eyelids. Even if I was a mortal, in that moment, I felt like I too could spring wings out from my back and take to the world. It was enchanting. It was a dark fairy tale. The human girl who had been entranced by a being from another world…following him to hell, risking her life so they could be together, never fully realizing her lover was doing the same. The vampire who gave up everything he had so that he could live a shortened lifespan with his partner. And here they were, together, under the light of the full moon…which they would do again and again until the end of their days…

My breath hitched when I realized what that implicated. Neji was…_mine_. We would have our ups and downs, and sometimes we would hate each other, but he had thrown away his past so we could be together. I was his partner. And there was nothing anyone could do to deny that.

That feeling alone sent tingles up and down my spine, and Neji clearly noticed because he chuckled and broke away from the kiss, saying, "Your scent changed, Tenten. You thinking something naughty?"

I could only reply by giving him a light kiss on his lips, which caught him off guard. The bright aura around him wavered. "What was that for?"

I smiled cheekily. "Nothing."

He grumbled, obviously unsatisfied by the answer, but he let it slide. Bending down, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of my jeans and rested his head on my shoulder. I tried not to focus on the fact that his hands were somewhere very personal and instead ran my fingers through his hair gently. "What are you thinking?" I asked. The glow in the air surrounding us was from the intensity of the return of his magic, so all the trees were shining a bright, pale yellow. I prayed someone didn't find the situation strange and call the cops because they thought we were setting off fireworks.

"…Nothing."

I poked him in the back. "What?"

"Is 'nothing' not an appropriate answer? You give it out all the time."

"That's different."

"In what way?"

"Stop trying to avoid the question. What are you thinking? You normally don't go all mellow like this unless you're thinking of something important."

He was quiet, like he was thinking about whether or not to answer me. Finally, he lifted his head so he looked at me square on, face serious. Then, he gave me the best smile I had ever seen, fangs and all, eyes crinkling up so they looked like tiny crescents. The light around him didn't help either, only enhancing his looks and making him seem brighter than before. He tangled his fingers in mine and leaned forward, bumping our foreheads gently together, the smile still on his face. My knees instantly turned to goo and I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt like crying.

He closed his eyes and gave me his answer.

"I was just thinking that I love you a lot."

* * *

><p>"Hey, do you think Hyuuga-sensei has a girlfriend? I mean, he's obviously not married, there's no ring on his finger."<p>

"He is really young and good looking, so I wouldn't be surprised. Especially since he's so popular with the students…and smart to boot. Did I mention he was good looking?"

"I mean, he's also _nice_ to all his students. Like, super caring. I heard that in his previous job, all the students would flock to him, and he would be especially kind to all girls. They said one look from him could send you to the brink of unconsciousness. That was how powerful his gaze was. Quite a few of them were sent to the nurse's office from blood loss. I'm betting ten bucks it was due to nosebleeds."

"I'd take that bet. But think about it…something must have changed between that job and this one. He doesn't seem to show any preferential treatment to anyone anymore. Just you know, a typical teacher I can idolize in my spare time. I bet he found someone really special to him"

"Yeah. He's probably already taken. I mean, looking like that? Who wouldn't go after him! Whoever is dating him is extremely lucky…what a catch."

"It's almost ungodly how handsome he is. That body…those eyes…the hair, the bone structure…everything is perfect. Especially his teeth. God, his teeth are so sexy. Did you see his canines? How they're just the _smallest bit_ longer than normal sometimes? It's such a turn on."

"Girl. I got you. I see it too. It's not often though…I would say like, once a month? I just can't get over his _face_. I could look at it all day. He's so beautiful; sometimes I doubt he's even human."

"I get what you mean."

"You totally understand, right?"

"Def. Totally."

"You know, sometimes, I imagine he's a vampire. Look at that stature. You can see where I'd get the idea, right? He'd be like one of those super gorgeous ones from the books. And then he'll be the one to whisk me away to his dark kingdom and make me his queen and only be able to feed off me for the rest of his life. I think it's his canines which give me such an active imagination."

"I can see that happening. His aura is certainly mysterious and _so sexy_. If he was a mythical creature…the title of vampire would _totally _go to him."

"Right? That's what I think too. But of course, that's like, impossible."

"Oh girl. Of course. Him being a vampire…why that's just silly! That would just be illogical."

"Yep. Extremely illogical."

* * *

><p><strong>The end. <strong>

**(For real this time.)**

**R & R! :)**


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